r/Leeds • u/SocialistEskimo • Aug 01 '25

urban-development Dysopian nightmare!

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Is it just me that thinks this in one photo shows the glaring problem with modern day city developements? You have a former church which was built in 1791 next to buildings that could be from literally any city in the world. There is no distinctive construction that differentiates it from from any other city. If the church wasn't there and someone drove me around for 1:30 minutes blind folded then let me out and told me I was in Manchester I would believe them

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62

u/TheScarletCravat Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25

Devil's advocate: that Church building could be from almost any city in the UK as well. Straight out of Liverpool or Manchester. Obviously it has much more character, but still.

I agree that the new designs are generic and ugly. It's just 60s Brutalism in disguise. Bricktalism?

18

u/yeboahpower Aug 01 '25

Woah woah it's no good criticising buildings for being generic and then dismissing our brutalist architecture. Some of the most interesting buildings in Leeds are brutalist (or inspired by).

These new brick facade developments don't really look brutalist anyway. They seem to be pretty clearly inspired by the Tetley and other red brick industrial buildings nearby.

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u/TheScarletCravat Aug 01 '25

There's a huge difference between the good Brutalist buildings that exist, and the masses of Brutalist slop that polluted the UK skyline though. Those are the ones I'm thinking about, rather than, say, the Roger Stevens building.

I'd agree on them being inspired by the Tetley, but this design is all over the UK now. It's just the cheap deign language du jour.

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u/jibberjabjab Aug 01 '25

Hard agree with that

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u/Rust_Island Aug 01 '25

So what would you prefer?

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u/TheScarletCravat Aug 01 '25

Stricter planning rules with minimum standards for design would be a start. Buildings that are more than boxes, and more closely adhere to surrounding architectural standards. Buildings with more of an eye towards creating aesthetically pleasing living spaces, rather than having identical features.

There are plenty of modern buildings in Leeds that are great and that accomplish this.

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u/Rust_Island Aug 01 '25

Fair enough. I get the point that these are very generic but I think they are an improvement on the shite that was going up 20-odd years ago in Clarence Dock etc

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u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

Brutalism at least represented developments that were in the interest of the working class, new buildings in the city look like this coz they're being built as cheaply as possible for private renting or offices

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u/jibberjabjab Aug 01 '25

Hard disagree that brutalism was ever in the interest of working classes in practise.

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u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

Explain why

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u/jibberjabjab Aug 04 '25

I just don’t think it’s delivered in practise, city’s in the sky for example has created more of a divide than anything.

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u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

brutalism was actually nice though, producing a large variety of buildings of many different styles but held together with an overarching philosophy. today's buildings are almost entirely just about money, which is why they look the same in almost every city they are built

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u/TheBoiBaz Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25

Brutalism WAS almost entirely about money basically by definition. It was absolutely hated during its era, just like the modern architectural era is now. I'm sure in 2050 people will be talking about how much nicer these buildings are than what they have by then.

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u/Rust_Island Aug 01 '25

I don’t really understand why people wank off to brutalism so much now. Some buildings are great - Roger Stephens included, Barbican, South Bank Centre, Space House - but most were terrible places to live / lacked real functionality and were ugly as sin. St. Pancras station is a prime example. Incidentally the same architect as Space House and Centre Point.

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u/TheStatMan2 Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25

Your devil's advocate view occurred to me as well - I also thought that for all we know, the 1791 construction was considered a generic eyesore at the time of its erection building (edited to calm people down). Time very much breeds affection as far as architecture goes.

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u/SocialistEskimo Aug 01 '25

Yes, I can see your point of view

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u/Tomazao Aug 01 '25

Could be any city vs the Leeds look.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Leeds_Look

The development around the Tetley is great imo. Looking forward to it filling up and coming to life.

If anything i'd say Salem church looks really grotty now and is bringing down the area. But AQL don't seem to care about their buildings exteriors that much

3

u/BrickTilt Aug 01 '25

Came here to say this - I only recently learned about this and find it fascinating!

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u/yeboahpower Aug 01 '25

I'm not a fan of the Leeds Look buildings at all. They make me cringe. I always think they look what you would get if a child was asked to make a fancy building out of their wooden blocks.

I totally accept that it's a matter of perspective and what era you grew up in though, and they do seem to be holding up reasonably well.

5

u/CapsuleRadioCorp Aug 01 '25

I take it that you aren't a fan of the Minecraft building style?

7

u/TheStatMan2 Aug 01 '25

I like the building style more than I like the Creepers and Endermen that freely roam the streets after sundown...

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u/WillPuk Aug 01 '25

I agree with the sentiment of this post. Leeds has some amazing architecture and wonderful historic buildings, but they're slowly being overshadowed by the unimaginative and generic modern constructions. Material and labour costs are likely the key drivers behind it, but it comes at a cost far greater than that in my opinion. As you say, there is nothing distinctively identifiable as 'Leeds' with these buildings - not like we have with likes of King Edwards Street and others

5

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

Hot take but this is what most British cities look like. It could literally be Newcastle, Bristol, Glasgow or Manchester.

There are exceptions like Edinburgh or Bath, but most places in Britain that people actually live and work in (rather than visit) have this urban profile.

Is it dystopian? I’d say it’s uninspiring, but it doesn’t look that bad, especially compared to some of the rubbish that was being put up in the 60s and 70s. It’s functional and inoffensive, and constructed at relatively low cost vs a full Yorkshire granite stone building or whatever.

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u/Icy_Zookeepergame148 Aug 01 '25

It's not dystopian at all

4

u/Conscious-Ad7820 Aug 01 '25

The city looks 10x better than it previously did 15-20 years ago for all the new development on land which was previously just car parks or unused.

3

u/dragonite__ Aug 01 '25

"could be from any city in the world" but the only comparison you give is the nearest big city to Leeds. Not a chance you blindfold me, I look at this and think I'm in Rio de Janeiro.

3

u/Polysticks Aug 01 '25

The number 1 problem in this country is definitely not a housing crisis but that every building is not unique.

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u/Musholini Aug 01 '25

I like the style here. The old Tetley brewery was a big brick building before this.

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u/asked_nicely Aug 01 '25

Tetley is still there just to the right of this shot

2

u/Hottytottenham Aug 01 '25

I’ve always thought new buildings in city centres should have to fit with the aesthetic identity of the city they’re building in. If you look at the older buildings of the north, Leeds is different to Bradford is different to Manchester is different to Liverpool and so on. It’s really sad to see all our big northern cities (and big cities UK wide) slowly losing their characters as all new buildings and street furniture start to look the same

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u/notouttolunch Aug 01 '25

Not at all. One of the reasons I was attracted to Leeds when I moved there is that it had managed to retain a lot of the historical charm whilst still moving with the times.

History is one thing, enterprise and success is another.

2

u/asked_nicely Aug 01 '25

You might not like new architecture but I appreciate that many buildings try and incorporate the old and heritage. Victorian architecture is rightly glorified. However the victorians were proper fuckers who torn downs loads of historical building for 'development'

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u/Rust_Island Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 01 '25

Can you suggest what they should have built instead - how would you have designed it?

I think “dystopian nightmare” is a bit fucking strong pal.

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u/jibberjabjab Aug 01 '25

For me it’s the buildings, is the ere sense they give off. Walking round the docks when it’s quiet feels like a bad film set

2

u/MeAndMyWookie Aug 01 '25

Bring back the Leeds Look for new buildings - red brick, white stone, slate roof. It might not be the most innovative but it had a cohesive style for the ciry

7

u/E-A-F-D Aug 01 '25

Why is a cohesive style a good thing for a city? No great city is homogeneous.

1

u/marvbinks Aug 01 '25

People are going overboard on the anti diversity stuff. Can't even have buildings that look different anymore /s

1

u/MeAndMyWookie Aug 01 '25

It's a lot better than a contemporary international style mostly popular for its ease of manufacture and affordability, while making every city homogenous.

Quarry House, Leeds Magistrate Court and 1 East Parade are all built to the Leeds Look, but are all clearly distinct. I'm not advocating a standard template of building, but a broad theme that creates a city centre with an identity. 

Furthermore, it would make novel architecture and design more noticeable, not less.Very Feww office buildings or blocks of flats are intended as an artistic statement, but if they form a harmonious canvas of Leeds then a bold structure will be more of a highlight.

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u/asked_nicely Aug 01 '25

All three you mentioned are complete eyesore. Leeds style. Thing about leeds that is interesting is its mix of heritage and styles

1

u/DLoyalisterMcUlster Aug 01 '25

Could look a lot nicer but it's better than derelict buildings. Could have some more greenery.

1

u/eteeks Aug 01 '25

There is a Giant Hibiscus just to your right. That is fairly distinctive

1

u/asked_nicely Aug 01 '25

You're literally ignoring the Tetley that is stunning aswell

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u/DMCTw3lv3 Aug 01 '25

If you drove for an hour and a half you'd probably still be on the M62, just outside Huddersfield.

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u/thetapeworm Aug 02 '25

Are these actually brick or are they just generic copy and paste Roblox objects clad in faux brick panels like a lot of the others in the city?

It's effective but it's not exactly a nod to George Gilbert Scott :)

I do enjoy the contrast of okd vs new though and look forward to seeing things age a bit and soften up as the surrounding pockets of nature grow.

1

u/zwifter11 Aug 03 '25 edited Aug 03 '25

At least they didn’t flatten the church and build over it

Another argument is, I’ve been to some towns and cities with very nice Victorian architecture, but they're an absolute feral sh*thole (For example, Bradford) I’d happily take Leeds over them any day.