Among many things that we did on the first day in London, I found Barbican quite interesting. The brutalist style of architecture usually comes off to me as very heavy and bold, but the way it was used at Barbican made it seem softer and more subtle. I think this had to to with the strong presence of landscape that was woven into the project. The large green spaces that line the plaza space and the plants on the building help to distract the eye from the large concrete mass that makes up the residential buildings. I also think that this development was a great way to incorporate residential areas in the city that have a since of privacy. Overall I think it was a unique project and I think that incorporating plants within the architecture is a unique element that helps blend architecture into the natural environment.
Barbacan