The Barbican

This was great and the photos were good too!

I have a similar sort of fascination with a structure closer to me: Habitat 67 in Montreal. I have at various points considered buying a unit there but practicality prevents me from doing so each time. I don't know how long I'll resist.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_67

Habitat 67 reminds me of The Interlace in Singapore. I’m guessing The Interlace took some inspiration from it.

https://www.architectural-review.com/today/the-interlace-in-...

Curious, what are the practical concerns? The place looks fantastic to me!

I really miss more bold architectural and city planning experiments. Like, I get it, if it’s a flop, it’s a pretty expensive one. But still, it feels like the design-space there is just really under-explored.

Maybe there’s some AI-driven simulation way to explore the design-space and arrive at viable solutions before committing too much funds.

One can dream.

I visited outside it twice but they are very strict with protecting the privacy of the residents, so you aren't allowed in. I could only take some photos from street level outside.

Thanks for reminding me of this cool building --- I just updated the Wikipedia article with an infobox and a photo that I took in 2019.

Not GP but the linked Wikipedia page says though there's a private shuttle it's difficult to get into town on foot, so I'd guess it's concern that it'd be annoyingly secluded/disconnected at times.

Like OJFord mentions, it is a bit far from amenities despite the straight line distance to them not being great because it's built on an island in the river and you have to cross the bridge to get to the downtown area.

But more importantly for me, my usual life is not in Montreal. I love Montreal but moving there would require quite a few sacrifices in personal relationships that I don't feel like making. And government services in Quebec are also worse than in Ontario (where I am now).

Yes, and I respect that. It has allowed it to retain its original purpose of being a living space first and an architectural curiosity second.