Balfron Tower apartments go up for sale; enter Oliver Wainwright

2022-07-26T17:28:00-04:00

Almost 60 years later, Balfron’s streets have been scrubbed up and the residents’ facilities turbo-charged, but the kind of community that Goldfinger imagined has long since been evicted [...] Where once Balfron looked out over declining docks, it now winks across the Thames at the towers of Canary Wharf, whose bankers are a target audience for the new flats, which went on sale this weekend.

A spokesperson for the developer told the Guardian critic that the prospective buyers have mostly been well-to-do architects and design-hip young professionals thus far. Up for grabs is the famed Bond villain namesake Goldfinger’s personal apartment on the top floor, along with the five other preserved "heritage" apartments. Fans of the brutalist icon will have to shell out a pretty (money)penny to get inside its Grade II-listed halls, however: Asking prices for each of the 139 total apartments start at £375,000, or about $451,000.

Related on Archinect: Stock bricks to Brutalism: housing design in Poplar

Wainwright lamented the material choices and functionality of windows included in Studio Egret West's suite of upgrades as well as the newfound lack of views caused by the installation of a concrete balustrade. He also delved into the story behind its sordid ownership transfer. To that score, one "decanted" former resident told him the sloppy turnover was the product of "a political...

Clerkenwell Design Week 2016 - Top Picks

2016-05-24T10:43:00-04:00

It’s that time of year when London's design district opens its doors to the public for Clerkenwell Design Week and shows the rest of London and the design industry what it has to offer. An impressive showcase of distinct and accomplished talent the three-day event spans; furniture and product design, interior design as well as architecture. This year’s event includes over 120 spaces and directly engages 100 local businesses.

For its seventh year the team have employed the help of local architects OMMX to create a new masterplan that navigates visitors and links eight temporary exhibitions as well as commissioned installations.

With so much creativity on show we thought we would make a few suggestions. Here are Archinect's top recommendations:

Open Showrooms - open throughout the festival

Domus
50 Great Sutton Street
EC1V 0DF

Frövi
Broad Yard
Turnmill Street
EC1M 5RR

Herman Miller
102-108 Clerkenwell Road
EC1M 5SA

Knoll
91 Goswell Road
EC1V 7EX

Morgan
1 Dallington Street
EC1V 0BH

Exhibitions...

Archinect - News

Balfron Tower apartments go up for sale; enter Oliver Wainwright

Clerkenwell Design Week 2016 - Top Picks