To think the Barbican Estate in London is a masterpiece?

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I never really liked concrete or 1960s architecture until I did the Architecture Tour on the Barbican Estate a few days ago. Now I “understand” it and can really appreciate it. Living there would be a dream. AIBU to consider it a masterpiece?

My friend lives in one of the towers. I love the flats

It is truly wonderful. I love brutalist architecture tho.

Yes I agree, I love Brutalist architecture- probably because I grew up in a block of flats that was complete with a Brutalist concrete playground of tunnels to crawl through etc.

I love it.

go there sometimes for concerts.

I love it. I went on a tour of the Barbican and it was so interesting.

I love it, though I do get lost finding the art gallery every time I go there.

I love it - did the tour a few years ago 🌞

I've done the tour too and i agree. The heating situation would bother me though. I wouldn't like to live in the high rises.i would feel trapped. The theatre is beautiful.

Yes I love it and the Balfron/Trellick towers too.

It's my dream to retire there. Saw this the other day and quietly sobbed

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/171808334?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

It’s an abomination. Ugly and also not user-friendly.

I have nothing against the look of it. And I like the concert halls and bar.

But if you need to use it regularly or get through it it’s a bloody nightmare! Really difficult to navigate because there are stairs everywhere between the levels (so an absolute no no for disabled people) dead ends, locked doors and concert halls where you need to go- as well as the massive lakes! And those coloured lines on the floor don’t help.

It also lacks lines of sight so if you’re on your own at night it feels like there are multiple opportunities for people to jump out and mug you. Plus it smells of wee.

And I also don’t like the way that the lakes have no way for wildlife to get in and out so they are incredibly unfriendly to wildlife (drowned duckling anyone?) (until someone shoves a few planks in) and there is basically very little greenery like trees and bushes- just massive concrete squares (I know that’s what brutalism is about but why extend it into the squares?). And how St Giles Cripplegate is basically marooned! When it would have been the heart of a parish.

To me it’s the classic architectural merit over people who live there using it in a normal way debate.

It's so ugly from the outside, but very conveniently situated if you worked in the City! The surrounding area is lovely though.

It's an absolute maze though. I remember there was a yellow line that was like walking the yellow brick road to get to the concert hall when I was a child. Memory is hazy, so I can't remember if that was always there or just the time that the Wizard of Oz was playing there (with Imelda Staunton as Dorothy).

Absolutely beautiful on the inside but OMG that concrete balcony and the view from it just look so depressing.

I regularly check out Barbican properties on Rightmove. Definition of property porn.

It’s hideous. Also very difficult to navigate so not even practical in its ugliness.

I want to sell up when I’m old and move to the Barbican! What a glorious estate and now that the area has been developed, the entire area is nicer.

I think it’s awful.

I think it's hideously ugly on the outside - I work near there and it's just so grey and lumpen. On rainy days especially it's so depressing.

However, there are some lovely areas inside - there's a bit with fountains which I love to sit by in summer, and the theatre and conservatory are wonderful. It's a great community space. And the flats themselves look lovely inside, really well designed and pleasing.

Overall it's a great space. But I really, really hate Brutalist concrete.

I hated it when I first started working in the City 30 years. Now I really like it. It seems much better cared for and it’s beautifully planted. Not sure I’d choose it as my home or even London pied a terre, if such a thing were ever in my gift, but I do like it.

My brother lives there and absolutely adores it. He has moved to his second flat - from Ben Johnson tower to high up in one of the towers.

I can’t feel the love! The flats are very stylish, admittedly. The views are amazing and I do like the concept of a self-contained village within the City, but the area is dead at weekends and the architecture is just not for me.

Horses for courses, though, isn’t it? He would hate to live in my boring, traditional Victorian terrace too.

I like it there, also did the tour a while back. The flats aren’t all unaffordable (relative to similar size flats in London) but the service charges are enormous. Also the costs of getting windows replaced etc as they have to match everyone else.

Also have the Barbican retirement dream! I absolutely love the building. It's a masterpiece. And the gardens are wonderful.

Oh dear. It’s like an estate agents Emperor’s New Clothes. Or a communist “shove them in and pile them high”.

Needs must I suppose if living in London.

A reminder that I’m lucky to live in a village.

We rented there for a couple of years - really convenient location our jobs, the actual flat was beautiful, and there are lots of lovey facilities (conservatory etc).

But the estate is a maze, I got lost if I didn’t come in my usual route and it felt very unsafe walking around - even in daytimes - as there are so many weird turns and corners, so you can’t see who’s around. At times it felt like living in some kind of zombie apocalypse movie.

Also the landlord moaned constantly that our rent wasn’t covering the service charge and he was losing money, so I assume it must be really high!