Christopher Beanland presents radical architectural visions of a future that never arrived

Author, journalist and travel writer Christopher Beanland grew up with a natural passion and enquiry about cities and buildings.

Speaking to Bristol24/7 while looking out from his hotel room over the expanse of L.A., he admits that his early fascination has become lifelong. He has since researched and written about architecture from all over the world.

Beanland’s previous books include Concrete Concept: Brutalist buildings around the world, and Lido: A dip into outdoor swimming pools: the history, design and people behind them.

Christopher Beanland – photo: courtesy of Christopher Beanland

He will be presenting his new book Unbuilt: Radical Visions of A Future That Never Arrived with a visually enhanced talk at Design West, on July 25.

This tour of potential architectural marvels – and misdemeanours – takes in Berlin, Glasgow, Tokyo, London, New York, and other cities, exploring how they may have looked “if the planners, architects and dreamers had their way”.

Behind many of the visions that Beanland explores is the prevailing concern that modern cities need to do so much. They must try to house everyone and strive to provide sufficient employment; connect people through transport, and be constantly evolving – today more than ever, in a sustainable and environmentally conscious way.

But there is more to it even that that. Beanland is a firm believer that space can influence mood. “The quality of the built environment affects so much about our lives,” he enthuses.

Future vision for skyline, used in Unbuilt: Radical Visions of A Future That Never Arrived – photo: courtesy of Christopher Beanland

“When we’re somewhere that’s cosy or exciting or spacious or relaxing, then we’re comfortable – those places make us feel good.

“But I think there’s a psychological affect whereby if the opposite is true, i.e. when we’re in low quality or cramped accommodation, or a space that’s too far away from where we need to get to, then all those things can make our lives more difficult or unpleasant.”

So where are the places that have got it right? Although he accepts that nowhere is perfect, Beanland cites Freiburg in Germany as a place that stands out in terms of its environmentalism; Vienna for its livability; and Berlin, Melbourne and Sydney for great examples of functioning cities with interesting architecture, good levels of housing, visitor attractions, green spaces and lots of things to do.

Hyperbuilding – photo: courtesy of Christopher Beanland

While the radical ideas presented in his talk – ranging from the esoteric, in Herbert Bayer’s Bauhaus kiosks, to the downright fanciful, in Buckminster Fuller’s dome over New York – may never have arrived, Beanland says that they still deserve to be better understood.

“A lot of planning in architecture is basically failure – ideas that didn’t happen, but we can still celebrate the ideas, and the visions,” he affirms.

“We can think about the rights and the wrongs, the good and bad ideas, and reexamine the dreams that people had or how they thought the future would look.”

Those ideas that did reach initial stages, such as the planned walkways – or ‘pedways’ in Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle, were torn down in order to create cities that facilitated cycling and walking, rather than promoting cars beyond all else.

Skyscraper designs – photo: courtesy of Christopher Beanland

The boldness and innovation of the brutalist movement is another good example of how its architects were trying to shape an imagined future world that was entirely different.

For Beanland, the style of these buildings is often misunderstood, and it’s what prompted him to reexamine them. “Their exuberance and innovation really appeals to me,” he smiles.

“We associate brutalism with dystopia, because of the concrete and sometimes the weirdness of it, or the disrepair; but actually, the brutalists were trying to create a utopia.”

So, as the needs of humanity change, is there a place for radicalism in designing the cities of the future? Beanland thinks so, though he admits it is perhaps a little more hard to come by than it was for the architectural dreamers of the last century.

Vision for Madrid – photo: Zaha Hadid Foundation

“People were excited about what planning and building could do, and how technology could solve problems. Now, we’re a little bit more wary,” he reflects.

“You can understand it too, because we’re facing a climate emergency; there are lots of problems in the world, so people are a little bit more worried about the future.

“But maybe we could reclaim the radicalism that we had once, and look at how we can do things differently.”

Unbuilt: Radical visions of a future that never arrived – photo: courtesy of Christopher Beanland

Unbuilt: Radical Visions of a Future That Never Arrived is at Design West on July 25 at 6.30pm. Tickets are available at www.designwest.org.uk.

All images, unless specified, courtesy of Christopher Beanland.

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