When the words high-rise apartments are uttered, the first thought most minds conjure up is unpleasant images of the council estate blocks erected around the UK in the 1960s and 1970s. After the disastrous looking designs, high rise became a dirty word associated with deprivation.
History of high-rise apartments
With roots in Roman times and Arab Egypt, high-rise apartments have historically catered for high population density in the world's largest cities. Tower blocks became a common sight in the UK after the Second World War with the first one built in Harlow, Essex in 1951. The ‘Lawn' is now a Grade II listed building, however many of the others were put up at speed to fill the housing gap and to get people out of deteriorating 19th century building. They weren't built to last and as they deteriorated, they got a reputation for rising crime levels which decreased their popularity further. After being branded ‘slums in the sky', this fate was cemented with the partial collapse of Ronan Point, Newham, East London, in 1968.
Many of the original tower blocks which weren't built to last have been torn down, however the Brutalist architecture style of some of the buildings, the most popular example being the Barbican in London, has become fashionable. Young professionals have opted to buy properties in these blocks for the views and some of them now sell for relatively high prices.
Comeback of the high rise
With more thorough planning and design, high-rise apartments are currently seeing a resurgence and in London alone there are around 100 different tower blocks in varying stages of completion. As land becomes hard to find and the population increases, in major cities around the UK developers are likely to be building up and housebuyers have proven that they are willing to pay for the views these apartments offer.
In the future![]( "What House? April magazine")
According to Regeneration Man George Clarke one of the ways the British Government needs to tackle the housing supply over demand imbalance is by reaching higher into the sky. The architect, TV presenter and government adviser on housing says: "Our cities in the UK are relatively low rise in comparison to many cities around the world and we need to change this. We are not building enough homes and by building higher we could make a dent in the demand. We have the technology and skill to do it, but we are fighting against NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) attitudes. It is the same people who fight against these properties that moan about their children not being able to get on to the housing ladder."
Attitudes about high-rise apartments are steadily changing with city penthouse apartments coming second in our recent poll on our readers dream home. With innovative, bold design like Renzo Piano's Shard and Foster + Partner's Quartermile, and architects working to create gardens in the sky along with the tower blocks, city dwellers can expect to see a lot more cranes on their horizon over the coming years.