Goldfinger's Balfron Tower, Carradale House and Glenkerry House sit in a cluster on either side of St Leonard’s Road, close to the entrance to the Blackwall Tunnel. result of refurbishment works.9 However, as stated, Balfron’s application features no such confirmation in accompanying documents. The buildings will have to be completely scaffolded to achieve this; the play areas are overgrown and neglected; the sheltered homes are without proper access for elderly residents that they were designed for. We feel that returning an element of choice to existing and potential residents would stimulate greater investment in the buildings and ultimately enhance perceptions of them. Balfron Tower prior to refurbishment But upgrading the tower and rethinking the way it connects with its surroundings isn’t just about embodied energy and running costs. Formerly social housing owned by the borough of Tower Hamlets, the Balfron Tower, and its surrounding estate comprising two other residential buildings, developed a need in the early 2000s for complete refurbishment. Since it opened in 1967, the 26-storey Balfron Tower in Poplar has gone full-circle. The flats within the buildings are well-designed and conform to the generous Parker Morris space standards. [‘Poplar HARCA: Making Poplar a better place to live’ logo appears. It became a listed building in 1996, recognised for it's daring brutalist design. Balfron originally had chunky timber windows that were painted white, which were largely identical to those on Trellick Tower where an ongoing refurbishment scheme has involved the restoration of the original windows in residential areas. London. ‘Poplar HARCA: Making Poplar a better place to live’ logo reappears. In recent years Balfron Tower has been popular with visitors during the annual Open House Weekend. Balfron 2.0: how Goldfinger's utopian tower became luxury flats Erno Goldfinger; critics of Balfron Tower believed that his feverish devotion to brutalism had led him to create a monster. I have just modified 5 external links on Balfron Tower. BALFRON TOWER PLANNING APPLICATION Comments to Tower Hamlets Council on Planning Applications Nos. The 27-storey tower, designed by Erno Goldfinger, forms part of the Brownfield Estate in an area of social housing between Chrisp Street Market and the A12 northern approach to the Blackwall Tunnel. [The 3D render overlays the concrete areas on the podium with greenery and circular play spaces linked by curved paths. At every third level, the towers are linked by sky bridges, giving it a very recognisable profile. Soothing, swooshing synth music repeats on loop. Balfron Tower: The area to the south of Carradale and west of Balfron currently consists of neglected concrete structures, hidden sunken areas and unsafe intimidating places that will be remodelled to provide quality public open space. Despite the obvious negative perceptions of Balfron Tower and Carradale House, there are many residents that appreciate their location and far-reaching view and architecture. Balfron Tower – for Londonewcastle and Telford Homes – has won the Conversion/Refurbishment Project of the Year, whilst Birch House – for Berkerley Group - was named Multi-Storey Development of the Year (+17 stories). Water leaks from corroded pipes often cause problems in Carradale House; because the communal heating boilers are located at the top of the buildings, fuel oil must be pumped from basement storage tanks. Balfron Tower is a 26-storey residential building in Poplar, a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. 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