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The Barbican

(arslan.io)
728 points farslan | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.199s | source
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hnlmorg ◴[] No.43965403[source]
I used to work on a top floor of the building next to it so had a first class view of the estate. Been there a few times and a friend used to live there too.

He would rave about the place but I’m not a fan of it personally.

Aesthetically it’s out of place and (in my personal opinion) a bit of an eye sore.

The maze like design seems fun at first but it’s less amusing if you’re the one who’s actually lost in there and have somewhere to be.

The apartments are small and impossible to get the temperature right (too hot in summer, too cold in winter).

But because its iconic people still pay an obscene amount to live there.

The on-site amenities are pretty good, but its central London, you’re not far from literally anything you could imagine or desire. So I’m not sure that’s as much a selling point now than it was when the estate was built.

It’s one of those places you’d have to really love in spite of its warts because it’s so impractical by modern standards.

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dreghgh ◴[] No.43966579[source]
> The on-site amenities are pretty good, but its central London, you’re not far from literally anything you could imagine or desire.

This is totally inaccurate. It's the business district. If not for the Barbican, the nearest serious art gallery, repertory cinema, music auditorium, are all around half an hour away.

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1. NoboruWataya ◴[] No.43967137[source]
Half an hour is pretty much nothing in London. But if you factor public transport or cycling into the mix then there are loads of places you can get to in less than half an hour. For example about 10 minutes cycle to the south you have the Southbank Centre, BFI, Tate Modern etc.