Is postmodern architecture seeing a revival in London?

After 17 postmodernist buildings across the UK were given listed status earlier this year, Robert Soning asks: has the movement come full circle?

James Stirling’s No 1 Poultry is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of the postmodernist style in London (Alamy)

Postmodern architecture, as with the majority of artistic or creative movements, is entirely reactive. Postmodernism developed on a wider scale in the mid-20th century across the arts and philosophy, but perhaps most noticeably in architectural style.

Postmodernist architecture arrived in the 1960s in an explosion of asymmetry, innovation and controversy as an insurgency against the passionless and solemn architecture of the modernist movement.

But what is it, how did it start and why is it making a comeback?

The Circle in Shad Thames is an example of postmodernism transforming buildings once considered disposable (Alamy) (Alamy Stock Photo)

Postmodernism seems to be a marmite point that splits the opinions of society. But has this movement come full circle, or has it always been present and helped to shape the current architectural aesthetic of the UK?

In my opinion, postmodernism is unapologetically bold and daring, definitely not to everyone’s taste, but its importance is undeniable.

In May this year it was announced that 17 postmodernist buildings in England would be given listed status. This is fantastic news for the future of architecture, as new architects, designers and creatives begin to draw inspiration from the world around them.

The most important part of this act of creative preservation is not only that it protects postmodernism itself, but that it maintains the dynamic, exciting and visually arresting medley of British architecture.

Among the buildings included in this list are structures designed by some of the leading pioneers of the postmodernist movement, such as Charles Jencks, Terry Farrell and CZWG.

But great examples of London’s postmodernist buildings include John Outram’s Isle of Dogs pumping station completed in 1988, which fuses connotations of Egyptian temples with allusions to Gaudi, and is peppered with art deco accents. The Circle (1987-89) Queen Elizabeth Street, Southwark, is another of my favourite examples. The Yves Klein-blue of the “owls”, as the buildings came to be known, was originally chosen to represent ceramic vases.

Too many to name and explain in full, other undeniably google-worthy examples include the TV-am studios (1981-1983), Hillrise Road housing (1983-1986), China Wharf (1986-1988), Richmond House (1982-84) and James Stirling’s No 1 Poultry (1994-98).

Egyptian temple or pumping station? John Outram’s Isle of Dogs building was grade II listed in 2017 (Alamy) (Alamy Stock Photo)

What I find incredibly interesting is any proposed reason for the return to popularity of postmodernism. One idea comes from Adam Nathaniel Furman, designer and founder of the Postmodern Society. He suggests that mere bricks and mortar is not enough to satisfy the thirst of the metropolitan demographic for buildings with cultural significance.

“A generation is emerging that is hungry for a theoretically rich, culturally embedded architecture that engages the past, the future, and the weighty abundance and horror of the present in all its glorious vulgarity,” he says.

Despite its youth, postmodernist architecture has played a massive role in London’s design identity.

Although its roots are probably more American than anything else – with the likes of Frank Gehry leading the way – some of the postmodernist buildings in Europe, and especially in London, are iconic.

Its association with London means postmodernism can be considered a key pillar of British design. You may not live in a postmodern building but you almost certainly live near one, and they’re worth a second look.

Robert Soning is the founder and COO of Londonewcastle