Barbican YMCA (Blake Tower), London

£45.00

Barbican YMCA (Blake Tower), London

1 reviews

A Brutalist gem, finely detailed in concrete by Spaceplay.

Barbican YMCA (Blake Tower), London

Name: Barbican YMCA (Blake Tower), London
Brand: Spaceplay
SKU: MINI_046
Price: 45.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

£45.00

BUY TWO OR MORE MODELS AND GET 15% OFF

Carry your first London room in solid concrete. Whether you stayed a night or a year, or simply admired it from the Barbican walkways, honour where your story started.

Made to order and shipped within 30 days

Designed and made in my UK studio

Comes gift-boxed for the perfect concrete gift

Express processing available for UK orders

Shipping

All Spaceplay models are made to order and are usually made and posted within 30 days.

All orders are sent using a tracked postal service, and you’ll receive tracking details once your model has been posted.

UK orders usually arrive within 3 working days after posting. International orders usually arrive within 8 working days after posting, although customs and local postal services can sometimes cause delays.

If you need your order for a specific date, please let me know before ordering and I’ll do my best to help.

UK customers can also select Express Shipping at checkout to have their model made and posted within 8 days.

Returns

You can return unused and undamaged items within 30 days of delivery for a refund, excluding return postage costs.

If your model arrives damaged, faulty, or incorrect, please email me within 14 days of delivery with your order number and photos of the issue. I’ll arrange a free replacement to be made and posted to you.

For EU orders Click Here

Building Information

Location: Barbican Estate, London, UK
Architect: Chamberlin, Powell and Bon
Completed: 1968
Status: Residential apartments (formerly YMCA hostel)

Brief Overview:
Blake Tower was originally built as the Barbican YMCA, providing accommodation as part of the Barbican Estate. Its concrete structure and vertical emphasis mark it as part of the estate’s architectural language, while its adaptive reuse into residential housing shows the flexibility of Brutalist design. It stands as a companion to the estate’s three landmark towers, forming part of London’s most ambitious post-war development.

Making my concrete model

Barbican YMCA (Blake Tower), London

The Barbican YMCA miniature concrete model is a piece for people who know the Barbican beyond its three famous towers. Blake Tower opened in 1968 as the estate's YMCA hostel and has since become flats. It's a quieter Chamberlin, Powell and Bon building, and it shows how well London Brutalism can adapt to a second life. This concrete model of Blake Tower gives it the attention it deserves, cast at 9cm for a desk, shelf or studio table. It's for former YMCA guests, current residents, architects and anyone who collects Brutalist architecture in small form. It's a knowing gift for an architect who thinks they've seen every Barbican keepsake. Add it to the tower models to fill out your Barbican. Hand-cast in solid concrete, this miniature concrete building has real weight, and every piece has its own surface.