#concrete

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Roundhouse Hotel, Bournemouth, 2024

A multi-story building with patterned concrete facade and many windows rises above a sloped parking garage entrance. Two parking barriers and signs are at the entrance, with a traffic cone and tape nearby. Blue sky and clouds are visible overhead.
A round, modern hotel building with several floors and many windows, “The Roundhouse” sign above. The building is backlit by the sun, creating a halo effect. Blue sky and some clouds are visible; palm-like plants and a fence are in the foreground.
A wall with a geometric pattern of repeating hexagonal openings made from concrete is seen behind a solid blue construction barrier. Above the patterned wall, white railings and part of a window are visible. The angle is slightly upward.

Final bit from Bournemouth: Roundhouse Hotel. The reviews of the hotel are pretty dire, but no matter. I love any rotunda, especially when it’s also a car park, and especially when it’s wrapped in a beautiful concrete lattice.

Bonus: the logo of this restaurant and bar on the ground floor of the hotel.

A round, multi-story gray building labeled “THE ROUNDHOUSE” sits above a blue and white restaurant called “WAVE RESTAURANT & BAR.” Patio tables, benches, plants, and trees are in the foreground on a sunny, partly cloudy day.
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Manors Car Park, Newcastle, 2024

A curved, multi-level road descends alongside a tall concrete barrier on the left. A modern, rectangular building with many windows is in the background. Cars are visible below, and the sky is partly cloudy, creating a mix of light and shadow.
A curved, fenced pedestrian ramp with streetlights winds upward under a cloudy sky. Vertical concrete pillars line the outside, and the image is viewed through red metal bars in the foreground. The pavement appears empty and slightly damp.
A multi-level spiral parking garage ramp with concrete columns and metal railings. Sunlight casts shadows across the surfaces, and a Drive Slowly sign is visible. Colorful graffiti buildings and greenery can be seen through the gaps outside.
A multi-level concrete parking structure with tall vertical bars, winding ramps, and sunlight streaming through clouds above. Greenery is visible on the ground to the left, and city buildings are in the background behind the structure.
Curved ramp inside a multi-story car park with concrete beams and vertical windows letting in sunlight. A yellow pillar on the right has a blue directional arrow sign pointing left. City buildings and a blue sky are visible through the windows.
A curved, dimly lit concrete ramp with metal railings and vertical bars on the side, showing green plants growing through the bars. Light streams in from the left, and a ceiling light is visible above, creating a mix of shadow and natural light.
A close-up view of two adjacent concrete parking garages with multiple floors and open-air designs. Vertical and horizontal beams frame each level, and metal railings run along the edges. The sky is partly visible at the top left.
A large concrete overpass curves above an empty parking lot with vertical pillars supporting the structure. Sunlight creates shadows, and a multi-story parking garage with open gaps lines the right side. The overall scene appears urban and deserted.
A modern, curving concrete overpass and elevated roadway stand above a parking area. Traffic cones line the road on the left. The sky is bright blue with scattered clouds, and a tall brick building rises in the background.

Manors has to be my favourite car park yet. This wasn’t my first visit to it, of course, I don’t decide my favourite car parks on a whim! I’ve used this phrase before, I’m sure, but there’s just something pleasantly geometric about the whole space — not just the upright and cross beams of the car park itself, which repeat in such a mesmerising pattern, but how it fits into the space, too, and how the A167(M), the junction off it, and the pedestrian foot bridge (which affords great views of the car park) fits around its curves too. We were lucky to see it just as the sun came out after a rather grey morning, it looked extra beautiful.

The plaque at the entrance says “Manors Car Park — The first civic multi-storey car park in Newcastle Upon Tyne was opened on 27th July 1971 by Alderman Arthur Grey, leader of the city council.”

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Hadrian Bridge, Newcastle, 2024

A concrete pedestrian bridge with circular windows and a Newcastle University sign spans over a curved road. Bicycles are parked under a shelter on the left, trees and cloudy sky are in the background, and a metal fence runs along the foreground.

The rather pompously named, but still pleasant, Hadrian Bridge, over Newcastle’s Central Motorway.

This may be a good time to shout out Newcastle University’s Co-Curate website, which has come in extremely useful when factchecking (believe it or not, I do bother), and comes with a very rich library of pictures of buildings in the city, which came in useful when researching my one building across three eras post a few weeks ago.

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Division House, Sheffield, 2024

Street view of a city with people walking. Foreground buildings have concrete and glass facades, including a shop called MoonKo with a yellow door. The sky is overcast, and there are more modern and older buildings along the busy street.

Division House boasts 39 stylish studios across three floors, delivering a total of 23,713 sq ft of contemporary living space. Conveniently situated in central Sheffield, between Sheffield Hallam University and The University of Sheffield, this development is popular among young professionals and students alike.

– MCR Homes

Who cares! Division House is a concrete (ex-office?) block of rather small proportions, but that makes it all the more charming. Notice the incised triangles in-between the retrofitted windows.

The block next door is good, too, but I couldn’t get a good shot of it. The tower in-between separates the two buildings nicely.

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