Modernised Brutalism - a photo on Flickriver

Park Hill is a series of multistorey blocks of housing in my home city of Sheffield, England. It's located on a hill that overlooks the main route into the city so it greets everyone as they arrive and, as a result, it's very well known locally. It was built in the brutalism style between 1957 and 1961 to replace the previous back-to-back slum housing that had fallen into disrepair. Described as "streets in the sky" at the time of its construction, the scheme was viewed as revolutionary in its day.

The flats were initially very popular and successful. However, government restrictions on how potential tenants were allocated to flats and the limitations of the fabric of the building which decayed when not adequately maintained, led to a period of decline. The area became notorious and for many years the council found it difficult to find tenants for the flats.

Despite the problems, the complex remained structurally sound, unlike many system-built blocks of the era, and in 1998 it was controversially given Grade II* listed building status, making it the largest listed building in Europe. Although it took some time, this eventually led to the building being given a new lease of life with a complete refurbishment scheme. The flats are being renovated by developers Urban Splash, in partnership with English Heritage, into a mostly private mixed-tenure estate made up of homes for market rent, private sale, shared ownership, and student housing while around a quarter of the units in the development will be social housing. The renovation, which began in 2009, was one of the six short-listed projects for the 2013 RIBA Stirling Prize.

The original construction is of an exposed concrete frame with a progression of purple, terracotta, light red and cream brick curtain walling. The renovation approach was to strip the building back entirely to the concrete frame and replace the brick curtain walling with brightly coloured anodised aluminium and glass panels, giving the building its unique look. The first phase, pictured here, was completed and opened to residents in 2010/11. The project is planned for completion in 2022.

Park Hill's notoriety and the worldwide attention it received following the 1998 Grade II* listing have led to it developing something of a cult status. It has featured in several TV & radio shows, music videos, song lyrics and even a musical that premiered at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 2019. But perhaps the most well known moment of artistic fame was when the building was used in the filming of BBC TV's science fiction series Doctor Who from 2018.

Refs:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Hill,_Sheffield
www.exposedmagazine.co.uk/news/doctor-who-filming-sheffie...

Taken on: September 22, 2020

Tags:

Park Hill Flats

Sheffield

England

Architecture

Brutalism

Brutalist

Concrete

Renovation

Modernisation

Colourful

Colorful « less

Sets appears in: • Buildings & Architecture • Explored

Groups appears in: • Sheffield • Architecture more » • Geometric Beauty • WONDERFUL! : commented with "wonderful" • CANON EOS EUROPE • GR8 - Photos • Sheffield Buildings • Images Of England • ~Engineering is Art~ • Sheffield is_ • Art of Architecture • Images of Sheffield • ART of ARCHITECTURE (P1/C1) • BEST PICTURES ● MASTERPIECES • Sheffield Park Hill • **The New Masterclass** Level 1 *Admin Invite Only* P1- A3 • in explore • ! FavTop Master 300+ (P1, A+F4) • Your Perspective and Creative • Geometry Worldwide • !* WINDOWS AND DOORS OF ALL KINDS * P1/A2 • High Class Photography (invite only) • Architecture Symmetry Lvl 2 Post 1 Award 5 • Architecture Symmetry Lvl 4 Post 1 Award 5 • h y p n o s i s w a v e • Ugly Places all over the World • Architecture Symmetry Lvl 1 Post 1 Award 5 • Architectural Excellence • Architecture Symmetry Lvl 3 Post 1 Award 5 • Architecture Symmetry Lvl 5 Post 1 Award 5 • THERE IS NO LIMIT FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC CREATION • BEAUTY PHOTOS AROUND THE WORLD • PHOTOGRAPHY Worldwide • UFO OSNI BODIES PARANORMAL PHENOMENA AND PHENOMENA NOT EXPLAINED • ☮EXTRA✎COLOUR !🎨 « less

Camera: Canon EOS 90D, f/9.0, 1/500 sec, 135mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 90D
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	135mm
ISO:	100
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 21.2 (Macintosh)
Show full info

Stats: 15,344 views / 170 comments

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: