Social endurance at the Barbican Estate (1968-2020)
The Barbican Estate is a high-density, mixed-use residential estate built between 1964 and 1982 in London, following a 1951 competition launched by the City of London Corporation. The aim was to develop a high-quality housing scheme on the northern edge of the London Wall, in order to encourage peop...
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| Published in: | Journal of architecture (London, England) England), 2021-10, Vol.26 (7), p.1082-1106 |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | The Barbican Estate is a high-density, mixed-use residential estate built between 1964 and 1982 in London, following a 1951 competition launched by the City of London Corporation. The aim was to develop a high-quality housing scheme on the northern edge of the London Wall, in order to encourage people to move to the City, which lay deserted after the destruction of the Second World War. Regarded as one of the most ambitious experiments of postwar architecture, the Barbican Estate was Grade II listed in 2001, the largest built object to be listed in the British Isles. The Barbican Listed Building Management Guidelines (LBMG), first published in 2005 and revised in 2012, were created to guide the implementation and management of change in the estate, while preserving its character. Furthermore, the exceptional number of resident-led initiatives and events that have taken place on the estate - from its inauguration to the present day - are symptomatic of its occupants' remarkable sense of belonging, and their prevailing sense of concern, care, and pleasure to live there. This article shows how this strong community engagement, endorsed by the LMBG, promotes an ongoing process of maintenance of the Barbican Estate, as it foregrounds a symbiotic relationship between community and heritage. |
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| ISSN: | 1360-2365 1466-4410 |