Berthold Lubetkin: A talk by John Allan

Lubetkin's post-war work focused on social housing in Finsbury, aligning with a broader program to improve healthcare and housing. Spa Green (completed 1950) was one of three major housing projects, praised for its sophistication and innovative construction. Tecton's structural analysis evolved from Highpoint's monolithic panel and slab system to a 'box frame' or 'cross-wall and slab' system for these larger blocks, where the structure was internal. This development left the elevations as a 'canvas' for architects to express ideas, a controversial approach at the time. Lubetkin rejected the notion that 'form follows function' blindly, arguing that elevations should 'say something to the city at large'. He drew upon his early experience of carpet design and theory to compose facades that were not mere diagrammatic projections of the plan. This is evident at Spa Green, where windows belonging to different flats are strategically placed to create a unified composition, challenging the purely functionalist perspective. He applied similar principles to Bevin Court (Halford Square), creating a three-winged block that connected to the geometry of Percy Circus, giving legibility to the urban space with a ceremonial entrance and a striking staircase.

Lubetkin's urban planning philosophy was deeply influenced by his early exposure to Saint Petersburg’s city plan, particularly the way buildings like the Bursa, Peter and Paul Fortress, and Winter Palace created meaningful spatial connections across vast distances. This idea of 'spatial energy' and legibility was reinforced by his experience in Paris. He contrasted this with English 'townscape' (contrived accidental views) and 'streets in the air' (large, self-contained buildings), advocating for nodal points that defined city spaces, even if he couldn't control all intervening architecture. At Peterlee (1948), as architect-planner, he envisioned a town center organized by three housing blocks that would define space and provide legibility, dispelling the myth he wanted only tower blocks. Though he built nothing there, he explored similar ideas in the Cranbrook estate in Bethnal Green, where diagonal axes from Roman Road to Victoria Park organized the site. The buildings were scaled and turned to create dynamic spatial relationships. When the final part of the avenue could not be built, Lubetkin applied Borromini's technique of foreshortened views to create a modern 'Trompe l'oeil', connecting the market to the park even without physical completion. Allan concludes by characterizing Lubetkin as a unique figure, 'a man of 18th-century charm, 19th-century thrust, preoccupied with 21st-century problems,' who transcended the limitations of mainstream modernism to place modern architecture on par with great historical traditions.

John Allan introduces Berthold Lubetkin, a close personal friend he knew for 20 years. Allan describes Lubetkin's Bristol flat, filled with extraordinary objects and art, highlighting a 17th-century Dutch 'Tom Ploy' painting that deeply resonated with Lubetkin's personality. This artwork, serving as a 'portable open ticket' to another world, symbolized Lubetkin's rootless journey and his constant search for freedom, despite living in England for 60 years. His early life involved extensive travels through Russia, Germany, Austria, Poland, and France. Lubetkin’s parents fostered an environment where the future was a choice, and his early exposure to Caucasian carpet-making traditions influenced his artistic vocation. He believed art and architecture could serve revolutionary change, a concept reinforced during his time at the VKhUTEMAS school in Moscow.

Realizing the need to gain building experience, Lubetkin embarked on a 10-year self-education grand tour of Europe. In Berlin (1922), he studied reinforced concrete at Professor Kirsten's lectures and textile design at the Berlin Textile Academy, viewing carpets as coded messages reflecting social circumstances. He then spent 18 months at Warsaw Polytechnic before moving to Paris in 1925. There, he met Le Corbusier and was involved in Constantine Melnikov's Soviet Pavilion, which profoundly impacted his design philosophy, particularly the diagonal arrangement of plans. His informal enrollment at the École des Beaux-Arts under Auguste Perret, a master of reinforced concrete, taught him to view concrete as an architectural material and instilled a discipline for detailed design. Early student projects, like his three-winged railway women's cottages and models for the Palace of Soviets, show a fusion of these influences. His first real buildings were demountable pavilions for the Russian trade delegation with J. Véloca, showcasing crisscross canopies. This culminated in the extraordinary 1931 apartment building at 25 Avenue de Versailles with Jean Ginsburg, demonstrating sophisticated planning, clever light solutions, and innovative retractable windows.

Lubetkin arrived in England and quickly formed the architectural practice Tecton. His rapid success was largely due to an unusually well-connected network of clients. Key contacts included Godfrey Samuel (a Tecton partner) and his cousin Philip Darcy Hart (a medical researcher), who linked Tecton to Sally Zuckerman at London Zoo and Peter Chalmers Mitchell. Godfrey's father, Herbert Samuel (a Liberal party leader), also connected them to the Gestetner family and Dr. Philip Elman. These relationships led to commissions for structures at the London Zoo, the Highpoint buildings, and the Finsbury Health Centre. Allan structures the rest of his talk into chapters: 'Nature Study' (zoo work), 'Manifesto' (Highpoint buildings), 'Social Condenser' (Finsbury), 'Urban Engagement' (post-war Finsbury), and 'The Town Planner' (Peterlee and Cranbrook).

Lubetkin's approach to zoo design was revolutionary. Moving beyond traditional barred cages, he championed displaying animals in ways that highlighted their distinctive characteristics – a concept he called his 'geometric method'. The iconic Penguin Pool, completed in 1934, showcased a spiral ramp motif inspired by Tatlin's Tower and a 'diametry' symmetry from Melnikov's Soviet Pavilion. Lubetkin collaborated with engineer Ove Arup, who designed the virtuoso reinforced concrete structures, agreeing that structure should be expressed when significant and suppressed when not. The ramps themselves demonstrated engineering refinement, with the inner edge being thicker than the outer. Later, at Whipsnade Zoo, Lubetkin applied a Palladian idea to the Elephant House, presenting it as a pavilion against a backdrop of trees, a modern interpretation of classical landscaping. At Dudley Zoo (1935), he continued this geometric and lyrical interplay, designing buildings that were like 'ornaments' in a carefully managed landscape, a vision of nature tamed 'with a smile'.

Highpoint One (1935) was a manifesto against suburban sprawl and poorly designed apartment blocks. Lubetkin streamlined apartment living, incorporating Le Corbusier's concept of the 'Promenade Architectural' where residents would process up the building to connect with nature on the roof terrace. The plans show ingenious solutions for natural light in internal spaces and separate service lifts for garbage, avoiding the dinginess of traditional blocks. The flats themselves were innovative, with an open-plan living space that integrated circulation, and concertina windows that opened up to the gardens. The construction utilized advanced climbing shutters for a sleek exterior, showcasing a collaboration between Lubetkin (architect) and Arup (engineer), where design dictated structural solutions. Highpoint One served as a 'teaching vehicle' with explanatory panels justifying every design decision. Le Corbusier himself praised it as 'an achievement of the first rank'. Highpoint Two (1938) represented a different proposition, with only 12 flats compared to Highpoint One's 60. It contrasted with Highpoint One's orthogonal geometry with a romantic landscape of winding paths. Structurally, Highpoint Two featured a framed central portion with duplex units, signifying a shift towards 'assembly' in construction rather than monolithic sculpture. A controversial use of caryatids supported the entrance canopy, symbolizing the garden's culture and demonstrating complex engineering. Lubetkin's penthouse at Highpoint Two, with its parabolic vault and custom designs, reflected his idiosyncratic taste, influenced by his Georgian background and Russian folk art. The sliding windows offered an open relationship to the terrace, becoming a hallmark view.

The Finsbury Health Centre project originated from a fictitious tuberculosis clinic designed by Tecton for Dr. Philip Elman, a prominent medical researcher concerned with public health. Dr. Katiel, chairman of Finsbury Council's public health committee, was impressed by Tecton's ideas and commissioned the health center, which opened in 1938, ten years before the NHS. The building was an 'extraordinary array of clinics', a 'megaphone for health'. Its plan echoed earlier designs like Lazitski's 'Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge' and Lubetkin's Palace of Soviets model, featuring a central lecture theatre anchoring symmetrical wings. Like the École des Beaux-Arts, it employed a formal armature but with an informal, comforting ambiance to make people feel at ease. Uplifting slogans and cartoons promoted health awareness. The structure and services were fully integrated, with channel beams accommodating services, allowing for flexible, non-load-bearing internal partitions. Attention to detail extended to luminous, reflective interior panels and ceremonial entrances with valuable materials, conveying a message of 'science rather than superstition'. The building became a national symbol, notably featured in a morale-boosting poster during the war.