The Brunswick Tower Centre Case Study

Architect Patrick Hodgkinson, who worked for the likes of Alvor Aalto and Leslie Martin, designed the Brunswick Centre, often described as a ‘Superblock’ or ‘Mega structure’ located in the heart of Bloomsbury. Hodgkinson gained recognition for his completion of this building, which he inherited from Leslie Martin. The raw concrete bunker, built in 1968-1972, became one of the most controversial structures in London of the time. With Hodgkinson’s original design somewhat compromised, the project fell short and was not as successful as hoped (Allison, K). However, in 2006, a major and much needed refurbishment was completed to, in a sense, ‘spruce up’ the bleak and unfinished Brunswick centre. There were clearly many advantages from this development
The Brunswick centre, with its monumental concrete structure and stepped back apartments creating obsecure angles (see figure 2), has become one of the best known brutalist buildings in London alongside the Trellick tower.

However, in the late 60s, issues associated with tower blocks were highlighted after the partial collapse of Ronan Point. Many other tower blocks suffered design faults such as leaking roofs, damp and corroded steel; Hanly Stan described tower blocks as ‘slums in the sky’ (Porter,R). The mid ‘60s also saw a new Labour government seeking the modernization of British industry.

The Brunswick
However, after discovering that London County Council would not permit buildings that exceed 80ft, the project was passed to Leslie Martin, who had been working on a low-rise/high-density theory (Diaz, L). The brief was to create a design that had the same density as two tower blocks but without going over the height limit (see figure 3). Responsibility for the design was passed to Hodgkinson, his proposal was essentially two tower blocks on their side, having two rows of houses to create an open street in the middle for shops (see figure 4), with a basement for parking. The ‘stepped back’ concept was included on both sides to ensure that the apartments got enough sunlight and the shopping street was not too enclosed (Sennett, R). The Brunswick centre went through many changes and Patrick Hodgkinsons initial design was somewhat comprised (Allinson, K). The first of these compromises came after failing to get buyers on time and the introductions of new laws to compensate evicted tenants. This lead to London County Council signing a 99 year lease for the residential part of the building to be used as council