Robin Hood Gardens
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Robin Hood Gardens is a council housing complex in Poplar, London designed in the late 1960s by architects Alison and Peter Smithson and completed in 1972. It was intended as an example of the 'streets in the sky' concept: social housing characterised by broad aerial walkways in long concrete blocks, much like the Park Hill estate in Sheffield, and as a British response to projects like Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation. However, there were problems both with the quality of construction and the general design of the estate, which was plagued by crime. The project is generally regarded as a failure and the Smithsons' architectural career never quite recovered.
The estate covers about two hectares and consists of two long blocks, one of ten stories, the other of seven, built from precast concrete slabs and containing 213 flats, surrounding a landscaped green area and a small hill made from construction spoil. The flats themselves are a mixture of single-storey apartments and two-storey maisonettes, with wide balconies (the 'streets') on every third floor. The complex is located near Blackwall DLR station within sight of the nearby Balfron Tower.
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[edit] Preservation status
There is now a campaign[1] to get Robin Hood Gardens listed as a historical landmark in order to save it from destruction. However, English Heritage failed to back the proposal.[2]
Campaigners have not given up the fight, with Alan Powers, Chairman of the 20th Century Society, calling it a "unique place".[3]
