Wonders & blunders

Standing proud at 600ft, the pioneering Tower 42 is the tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the fifth largest in the capital as a whole. Designed by Richard Seifert and originally built for NatWest bank, its three hexagonal chevrons closely resemble the company’s main logo. The three lead faces of the hexagons point with near-perfect alignment towards the three great markets of Spitalfields, Old Billingsgate and Smithfield – a symbol of banking at the heart of commerce. Its status as the first skyscraper in the City heralded a departure from previous restrictions on tall buildings in the area, setting the scene for the ever-changing but still iconic London skyline. I am also rather biased. As a young technician I was employed by Mr Seifert to work on the building. The central core, lifts and staircases hold fond memories.

Southwyck House on the other hand is a blunder of a building that is often mistaken for Brixton prison. Known locally as the Barrier Block, it presents a daunting edifice, with early seventies, neobrutalist-inspired architecture and tiny turret windows peering out over Brixton. It was designed as part of the 1968 “box of motorways” project which, had it got off the ground, would have seen a raised six-lane motorway scythe through Brixton. The Barrier Block was designed to protect the Somerleyton estate from the inevitable pollution and traffic noise, which explains its tiny windows and unusual zig-zag design – intended to “bounce” the sound back to the ground. The road project was finally abandoned, but Brixton has been left with this ugly and impractical building.

Wonder

Tower 42, formerly the NatWest Tower, is an office building designed by Richard Seifert and engineered by Pell Frischmann. It took eight years to build at a cost of £72m. NatWest moved out after the Bishopsgate bombing in 1993, which damaged the building. Its new owner, Greycoat, renamed it in reference to its 42 floors.

Blunder

Southwyck House, a block of flats in Brixton, south London, was built by the Greater London council as part of a wider development strategy that was subsequently abandoned. It has caused controversy since its opening in 1982 – local folklore claims it was built “the wrong way around”. The contractor was Amec Building, Ted Hollamby was the chief architect.