The Housing Question

The social effects of architecture are examined through three post-war British housing estates. London County Council's Alton West estate at Roehampton, built in the fifties, was a testimony to the survival of interest in Le Corbusier's ideas, often blamed for the failure of modern architecture. Did the estate have a chance of becoming an attractive environment to live in? Trellick Tower in north Kensington, London, is a thirty-six-story building of impressive sculptural form, but how successful is it? The architect denies the theory that vandalism is linked to a lack of individuality in architectural design. Finally the Byker program in Newcastle appears to be something quite new for Britain.

© 1998-2001 The Roland Collection & Pira Intl.