Highpoint Flats
Subscribe now to instantly view this image
Subscribe to the Architects’ Journal (AJ) for instant access to the AJ Buildings Library, an online database of nearly 2,000 exemplar buildings in photographs, plans, elevations and details.
Already a subscriber? Sign in
Architectural Review Download Original
Block of 60 flats arranged on a double cruciform plan built in reinforced concrete
Highpoint One was initially commissioned by Sigmund Gestetner as social housing for the workers of his office equipment firm.
The resulting building was a bright white seven-storey double-cruciform block, comprising sixty-four apartments, built on a high point in north London. Apartments were available in two sizes - two or three bedroom.
The block was specially designed to ensure that the living rooms in each apartment received at least some sunlight during the day, with the bedrooms in more secluded areas. Lift services and staircases were grouped at the intersections, leading down to a wide foyer and communal tearoom on the ground floor.
The construction is monolithic with all external reinforced concrete walls and floor being part of the structure. The walls and floors are both insulated with cork and separated by a layer of hard screed to prevent the transmission of vibrations.
Data
- Begun: 1933
- Completed: 1935
- Sector: Residential
- Address: Highpoint, North Road, Highgate, London, N6, United Kingdom
Professional Team
- Architect: Tecton Group
- Client: Sigmund Gestetner
- Structural engineer: Ove Arup
- Main contractor: Kier