Balfron Tower: a building archive, created by London-based PhD student David Roberts and graphic designer Duarte Carrilho da Graça, is an online archive that brings together public documents related to Erno Goldfinger's Balfron Tower. Shining a light on all of the research material which Roberts has gathered over the course of his studies, archival documents from during the tower's design phase to the most recent press articles are presented in the form of a timeline. You are also allowed the option of downloading these documents in full.
These documents can be intimidating; difficult to access because they are hidden behind archival protocols, journal subscription costs and labyrinthine planning portals; or difficult to understand because of bureaucratic, academic or legal language. The lack of clarity and certainty can be a source of further discomfort for those caught up in complex and contested processes of urban change.
For ease of understanding, the material is categorised under ten document types and filtered through a dozen questions. The questions are loosely grouped around three subjects; the experience of living in Balfron Tower; opinions of the tower from those outside; and how the ownership, architecture and occupancy of the tower will change following regeneration works. I hope this project can encourage exchange and new forms of interpretive engagement.
Explore the archive here.
