#modernism — Modernist Delights

Oakland House, Manchester, 2025

A close-up view of a modern building’s façade, showing multiple rows of rectangular windows set in dark frames. The walls between the windows are made of brown brick, creating a striped pattern with the alternating glass panes.

A tall, multi-storey office building with rows of large windows. The top of the building has the sign OAKLAND HOUSE. Trees and a streetlamp are visible in the foreground, and the sky behind is overcast.

A large, multi-storey office building with many rows of windows and a brick façade, viewed from a low angle. Trees with green leaves are in the foreground, and the sky above is overcast and grey.

Not, as Siri helpfully suggested, the Stockport Viaduct.

Buxton House & Huddersfield city centre, 2025

A tall, grey concrete block of flats with many windows stands behind a modern entrance labelled Buxton Way. The structure has a Brutalist architectural style, with boxy shapes and minimal decoration, beneath a partly cloudy blue sky.

A tall, brown and grey block of flats with many rectangular windows rises into a blue sky. At the base, a geometric mosaic art piece decorates the wall, featuring intersecting triangles in shades of blue, yellow, brown, and cream.

A Brutalist concrete building with tall, narrow vertical elements and dark stains beneath the windows. A modern block of flats is visible in the background, and a leafy tree is on the right under a partly cloudy blue sky.

A grey, weathered concrete building with narrow vertical windows is partially shaded by leafy trees. At street level, there are red and blue shop signs, including one reading Bargains. The sky above is bright and partly cloudy.

Former HSBC branch, Huddersfield, 2025

A modern building with brown-tinted glass windows and angular balconies, viewed from below against a clear blue sky. The structure features repeating geometric patterns and sharp lines, reflecting light and nearby surroundings.

Pearl Assurance House, Huddersfield, 2025

A city street scene showing a modern grey building labelled PEARL with glass-walled stairs, next to white and black older façades. Shops at street level include PADDYPOWER, fusion housing, and TOWN NEWS. A person stands outside, and someone sits at a table.

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.

External stairs & vent, National Theatre, London, 2025

A brutalist concrete staircase with three steep flights leads to upper levels, framed by thick railings. Metal barriers and a traffic cone block the lower entrance. The building’s geometric, angular lines dominate the symmetrical design.

Stairwell, National Theatre, London

A dimly lit concrete stairwell with dark carpeted steps leads upward and turns left; stainless steel railings line both sides. The walls are textured concrete, and a small sign reading “STAIRS” is visible above the landing.

Prince Charles Cinema, Westminster, London, 2025

A marquee on the Prince Charles Cinema displays “QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE ALIVE IN THE CATACOMBS.” The cinema’s black awning is below, and the building above has patterned windows. The sky is partly cloudy.

After a short period supporting the dramatic arts, the venue was reinvented as a kind of soft porn cinema, and began showing European arthouse movies with “a level of nudity that British and American cinema wasn’t ready for”.
Wikipedia

Not a straight-up soft porn cinema, god forbid, just a kind of one.