Brutalist Balfron apartments given a 21st-century makeover

The Grade II*-listed Balfron Tower in Poplar is undergoing a two-year redevelopment by Londonewcastle and award-winning architects Studio Egret West and Ab Rogers Design (ARD), giving the 146 apartments in the Brutalist landmark a modern touch. The nine-storey service tower is having each of its levels converted from utilities and boiler rooms to house recreational facilities, including cooking, yoga, table-tennis, music, a library, a gym and a cinema. A new rooftop garden will provide hydroponic growing towers where residents can produce edible plants, while a public square at ground level is surrounded by landscaped gardens. The apartments themselves have been fitted out with shelving and cabinetry in the kitchen, Corian worktops, Marmoleum flooring and, in some, a high-level breakfast bar-style island. “The greatest challenge was to make the apartments relevant to today’s living without losing the integrity of Goldfinger’s designs”, says ARD’s Ab Rogers. The scheme is due to be completed in summer 2020; prices for a one-bedroom apartment start at £365,000.

Evening Standard (09/12/2019)