Highpoint One and Two
North Hill N6 (Highgate), North London, England. Two blocks of appartments with a brilliant view over Hampstead. So called because they are located on a hill - the Highgate Ridge. Designed by the Russian-born architect Berthold Romanovich Lubetkin and built by his firm Tecton.
Highpoint One was built first (1933-1935) and one year after completing the first complex of flats, Highpoint Two was erected between 1936 and 1938. Both blocks are characterised by clear geometric figures and technical ingenuity. Highpoint One is a seven-storey double-cruciform block and consists of sixty-four apartments. Both buildings offered the blessings of such modcons as two elevators in the lobby, long sliding folding widows, central heating and built-in refrigerators.
Highpoint Two is the smaller one, containing only twelve maisonettes instead of the sixty-four flats, but these were designed much more luxuriously, e.g. dramatic high living rooms reveal a fantastic view over the extensive gardens. Before the 1930s this concept of living in apartment blocks was not usual in Britain. Berthold Lubetkin was inspired for this social housing project by travelling e.g. through Russia and Germany and brought this idea of international architecture to England.
Sources:
Allan, John: Bertold Lubetkin. London: RIBA Publications, 1992.
Sharp, Dennis: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture. New York: Quatro Publishing, 1991.
http://housingprototypes.org/project?File_No=ENG002