In Poplar, East London, the Balfron Tower and Robin Hood Gardens Estate are celebrated examples of modern, Brutalist architecture. Designed by Erno Goldfinger, the Balfron Tower is Grade II* listed and has been refurbished within a Conservation Area. By contrast, the Robin Hood Gardens Estate designed by Alison and Peter Smithson failed to gain listed status, despite a high-profile campaign, and is undergoing phased demolition as part of the Blackwall Reach regeneration scheme. The walk is an opportunity to see this important architecture before it is gone and reflect on the utopian ambitions of the architects behind these great social housing projects as well as consider what aspects of their pasts might have led to such diverging futures.
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