Highpoint I and II, the pair of white modernist apartment blocks on Highgate Hill, are more than architectural curiosities; they are long-running engines for Highgate’s quiet arts and heritage culture. Completed in 1935 and 1938 for Sigmund Gestetner’s firm and designed by émigré architect Berthold Lubetkin with structural engineer Ove Arup, they introduced an unprecedented kind of collective living to north London, one that has consistently attracted residents involved in ar

Highgate’s Highpoint proves that in London, even modernist utopias have a waiting list and a price tag for the middle class. One of the most striking examples of London’s architectural history, and a recurring point of critical reflection in Edward Jones and Christopher Woodward’s Guide to the Architecture of London , is Highpoint in Highgate. Designed by Berthold Lubetkin and completed between 1935 and 1938, the building stands as both a monument to modernist ambition and a

Highpoint exemplifies Lubetkin’s belief that architecture can elevate human life, blending social purpose, innovative design, and philosophical rigour. Berthold Lubetkin was not just an architect; he was a visionary who saw buildings as instruments of social transformation. Arriving in London in 1931 after years of study and practice across Europe, Lubetkin brought a rare combination of technical expertise and political conviction. His exposure to the modernist housing develo

Thomas Diehl, University of Houston. Originally published as a scholarly study of Berthold Lubetkin’s architectural philosophy, this article examines how Highpoint One  and Highpoint Two  (London, 1930s) express the tension between social idealism and aesthetic transformation within modern architecture. Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1425413 .  In the 1930s, Berthold Lubetkin, a Russian-born architect working in London, emerged as one of modern architecture’s most visiona

Nestled atop Highgate Hill, Highpoint N6 is not just an icon of modernist architecture - it’s a living, breathing testament to the enduring power of thoughtful design to shape community life. More than 85 years after Berthold Lubetkin drew his first plans, residents here still enjoy a lifestyle that feels ahead of its time, where architecture and community spirit are intimately intertwined. Modernist Highpoint image - VOXDUST A Vertical Garden City When Highpoint was built in

J.G. Ballard's dystopian novel High-Rise delves into the complex interplay between modernist architecture, social class, and the...