#concrete — Page 4 of 4 — Modernist Delights

South Western House, Bournemouth, 2024

A narrow city street with a large, aging, gray office building reading South Western House. Shops line both sides, including a blue Leaders real estate office. The street is empty, and sunlight creates sharp shadows. The sky is mostly clear.

When you’re walking down the street and some concrete beauty appears around the corner 😍

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.”

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.

Ridley Building 1, Newcastle University, 2024

A gray, four-story modern building with many windows stands behind lush green bushes and plants. Yellow flowers and various shrubs grow on tiered garden beds in the foreground. The sky above is overcast and cloudy.

A touch of brutalism framed by vegetation, what else is there to say!

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.

Moore Street Electricity Substation, Sheffield, 2024

A modern, imposing concrete building with angular shapes and horizontal glass balcony railings stands against a cloudy sky. The lower section features vertical slats and dark brickwork, while the upper floors jut outward with exposed structural elements.

A large, angular concrete building with brutalist architecture, covered in graffiti at the lower level. Metal staircases are visible on the corner. Overcast sky looms above, and several people walk along the street in the foreground.

I love buildings that just look fucking massive and heavy and fortress-like. The Moore Street Electricity Substation is one of them. Grade II listed, too!