The Tecton Group was a radical architectural group co-founded by

Berthold Lubetkin Berthold Romanovich Lubetkin (14 December 1901 – 23 October 1990) was a Georgian-British architecture, architect who pioneered International style (architecture), modernist design in Britain in the 1930s. His work includes the Highpoint I, Hi ...

, Francis Skinner,

Denys Lasdun Sir Denys Louis Lasdun, CH, CBE, RA (8 September 1914, Kensington, London – 11 January 2001, Fulham, London) was an eminent English architect, the son of Nathan Lasdun (1879–1920) and Julie ('' née'' Abrahams; 1884–1963). Probably his ...

, Michael Dugdale, Anthony Chitty, Val Harding, Godfrey Samuel, and Lindsay Drake in 1932 and disbanded in 1939. The group was one of the leaders in bringing continental

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

to Britain. Tecton is short for ''architecton'', from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

ἀρχιτέκτων 'master builder, architect'.Tom Wilkinson, ''Bricks & Mortals: Ten Great Buildings and the People They Made'', 2014, , p. 283; incorrectly translated as 'architecture'

History

The group's first commission was the 1932-1934 gorilla house in the

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for science, scientific study. In 1831 o ...

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

. After the successful completion of the gorilla house, the group designed a penguin pool for the zoo, which contained a unique

double helix A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

-shaped walkway without intermediate supports for the penguins and a large swimming area. The group's successes at the London Zoo resulted in their designing two other zoos:

Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, formerly known as Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, is a zoo and safari park located at Whipsnade, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of two zoos (the other being ZSL London Zoo in Regent's Park, London) that are ow ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

and

Dudley Zoo Dudley Zoological Gardens is a zoo located within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the town of Dudley, in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, England. The Zoo opened to the public on 18 May 1937. It contains 12 modernist animal encl ...

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

. The group then designed the

Highpoint I Highpoint I was the first of two apartment blocks erected in the 1930s on one of the highest points in London, England, in Highgate. The architectural design was by the Georgian-British architect Berthold Lubetkin, the structural design by the ...

tower, an apartment complex in

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

. The complex set a new standard for luxury in city life, even though it was originally intended for working-class residents. The group later designed the Highpoint II tower on an adjacent piece of land, which was even more luxurious than its predecessor. After completing Highpoint I, Tecton received a commission for the

Finsbury Health Centre The Finsbury Health Centre is in Clerkenwell, on the edge of the City of London. It was built in 1935–38, designed by Berthold Lubetkin and the Tecton architecture practice. The design shares some of its materials and detailing with similar Lube ...

. This was the first public commission granted to a modernist architecture group. The building was created with the intention of improving public health through its construction, by creating a positive atmosphere and encouraging patrons to enjoy the outdoors through

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s. The Borough of Finsbury was impressed with the Health Centre and commissioned Tecton to work on several housing projects in the borough.

After Tecton

Skinner, Bailey and Lubetkin continued to work together on projects including the

Dorset Estate The Dorset Estate is a post-war Modernist housing estate in Bethnal Green, London. Design The estate was designed by Skinner, Bailey & Lubetkin and completed in 1957. The same architects designed the nearby Sivill House, completed in 1962. Th ...

and

Sivill House Sivill House is a Grade II listed 76-flat council housing block on Columbia Road in Shoreditch, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The building has 19-storeys, at a total height of . Sivill House was designed in the Constructivist style b ...

References

External links

Design Museum-Berthold Lubetkin

Short film on Tecton's buildings at Dudley Zoo
Architecture firms of England Design companies established in 1932 1932 establishments in England Design companies disestablished in 1939 1939 disestablishments in England {{UK-architect-stub