Modernist Delights

Brick-patterned frontage, Burnley, 2025

A modern barbershop with large glass windows and TOP FADE BARBERS signs above. Outdoor seating with tables and chairs is in front, along with a small decorative tree adorned with orange ornaments. The building has a brick façade and faces a quiet street.

All the best buildings have lampposts directly in front of them.

Guest post: Stockmann department store, Helsinki, 2025

A modern multi-storey building with STOCKMANN signs stands beside an older red-brick building. A yellow DHL van is parked in front, and several bikes are lined up along the cobblestone street. The sky is clear and blue, with bare tree branches overhead.

I’ve not absconded to Finland, although the weather in Helsinki seems a lot more pleasant than The North during Storm Claudia. Modernist Delights’ first international feature comes from my friend Kay, with a photo of a modern expansion to “Northern Europe’s largest department store”. The glass bricks, and the store name on the vertical pillar particularly appeal.

You will find everything you need at Stockmann – the latest fashion, trendy cosmetics, world-famous Finnish design, souvenirs and much more.

Details of Kingsway House, Burnley, 2025

A modern, multi-storey building with large glass windows reflecting the cloudy sky. The building has a rectangular shape and blue-tinted glass panels divided by vertical and horizontal frames, creating a grid-like appearance. The structure extends into the distance.

A modern brick building with large windows and vertical white metal bars on the façade. The sky is overcast, giving a muted tone to the scene. The architecture features both dark and light brown panels.

A grey car is parked in an almost empty car park next to a large building with many windows. A balcony with tables and chairs extends from the building. Small houses and green hills are visible under a cloudy sky in the background.

A glass building facade with rectangular blue-tinted windows in a grid pattern. Some windows are foggy or streaked, and an air conditioning unit is mounted in one window. Part of an older, stained tan wall is at the bottom right.

Former offices of Great Universal Stores, built in 1969-70. Featuring a frieze by Diane Humphreys and William Morris on the southern end of the building.

Brun House, Burnley, 2025

A modern white building with flat, horizontal rows of rectangular, dark-framed windows. The facade is simple and geometric, stretching across several floors. The sky above is overcast, with grey clouds dominating the background.

60’s-built Benefits Agency/Department for Work and Pensions offices, since vacated.

Carr House Lane bridge, Lancaster, 2025

A narrow tarmac path curves under a stone railway bridge with overhead electric wires. Trees with autumn leaves and green bushes line the sides. A cloudy sky looms above. Metal railings and a blue sign are visible near the tunnel entrance.

Clandestine McDonalds, Burnley, 2025

If a dishevelled Ronald McDonald lifts the shutters just a tad and ushers you inside, do NOT accept.

Burnley signage, 2025

A weathered shop sign reads “MAISON HUGILL GENTS’ HAIR STYLISTS EST. 1918” above a metal-grilled window. The building exterior is stone with peeling blue trim and an upper window with a white frame, showing signs of age.

Mosaic tile entrance with the word “HALFORDS” spelt in black tiles. The background is light-coloured with green vertical lines, leading to black-framed glass doors. Adjacent pavement consists of square beige and tan tiles.

Chaddesley House, Burnley, 2025

An exterior metal staircase with rusty railings is attached to a brick building. A broken window is visible on the left. A blue car is parked in front, and another tan brick building stands in the background under a cloudy sky.

The image shows a dilapidated entrance to an old building. The doors are covered with frosted glass and graffiti, the paint on the canopy is peeling, and warning signs are visible. The walkway leading to the doors is bordered by black railings.

A rooftop area with pyramid-shaped skylights, some litter, and dirt. To the right is a brown and beige building with many windows, some open. In the background, there are older stone buildings, a street with people, and flower planters on a railing.

A large, three-storey brick building with many broken windows and peeling paint. Debris and triangular skylights cover the flat roof below. The sky is overcast, and the building appears abandoned and in disrepair.

Erstwhile offices of Lancashire County Council, awaiting conversion into housing.

The Mint Building, City of London, 2025

A modern glass building façade with a grid of repeating rectangular windows, each framed by metal and covered with dark, louvred shutters. The reflections of the sky and nearby structures are visible in the glass panels.

Originally designed by Peter Foggo, constructed in 1997-99. Currently due to undergo refurbishment which will remove the brise soleil, which is part of the building’s striking look.

Baynard House, City of London, 2025

A building with 4 floors of continuous thin-framed aluminium windows, as well as vertical ribbed concrete between each floor. At the bottom, a series of metal horizontal vents and an entrance to an underground carpark.

The building was designed by William Holford incorporating a separation of pedestrians from streets, with a first-floor adjoining walkway along Queen Victoria Street that connects to Blackfriars station.
Baynard House, London – Wikipedia

Streets in the sky! Definitely one to go back to. It is, however, a nightmare to photograph, owing to the coach parking out front.

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