residence, housing, community/cultural
Erno Goldfinger, 1975
Glenkerry House, Poplar, E14 0SL
Glenkerry House is a 14-storey tower block designed by Hungarian architect Ernő Goldfinger. The block is managed by its residents, who collectively form the Glenkerry Co-operative Housing Association.
Canary Wharf, Langdon Park, Poplar
15, 309
Glenkerry House is 3 minutes' walk away from Langdon Park DLR station.
Many of our flats have stairs inside, so may be difficult for people with mobility problems. We would, however, adapt our tours if needed.
What does the term “brutalist tower block” suggest to you? A technically briliant but soulless geometric structure? A grim grey concrete hulk? A monument to hubris, as in J.G. Ballard’s novel “High Rise”?
Did you know that these buildings were also intended to be “vertical villages”? The “vertical village” concept was certainly in the mind of Erno Goldfinger, who designed the Brownfield Estate in Poplar. Goldfinger considered that high-quality modern architecture should be available to the masses, and with that intention he created the three high-rise blocks on the Estate: the famous Balfron Tower; Carradale House; and Glenkerry House.
The Brownfield Estate was designed in the 1960s and built in the 1970s, originally as social housing. Glenkerry House, a product of Goldfinger’s studio, was the last high-rise building to be added. (It was also the last high-rise building commissioned by the Greater London Council.)
While Balfron Tower and Carradale House are run by Poplar HARCA, Glenkerry House is an independent entity run by the Glenkerry Co-operative Housing Association: a self-run housing cooperative. We residents manage the block ourselves. We take care to preserve the building’s structure and systems. We also keep alive Erno Goldfinger’s “vertical village” concept by working as a community.
We invite you to visit and find out more about our unique response to the Brutalist ideal.
Glenkerry House also participated in Open House 2020 through the film series. The film is available to view here: https://open-city.org.uk/films/glenkerryhouse
Earlier this year, residents of Glenkerry House interviewed James Dunnett, who was a member of Erno Goldfinger's studio at the time when Glenkerry House was designed and built. In this short interview, he explains his role as a junior member of the studio and his involvement with Glenkerry House, as well as outlining some of the principles of Brutalist architecture.
https://vimeo.com/1006886326/a345b279c0
