Isokon building, Modernist residential building in Hampstead, United Kingdom
The Isokon is a residential complex in Hampstead, London, with 34 apartments built from reinforced concrete and clean geometric lines. The units are accessed via external galleries, while a central staircase connects the levels.
Wells Coates designed the complex between 1933 and 1934 for Jack and Molly Pritchard as a response to new urban housing needs. The developers wanted to create a model for modern living that combined compact apartments with shared facilities.
The building served as home to many artists and writers during the 1930s and 1940s, including Agatha Christie and Walter Gropius. These residents brought an international spirit to the area and made the house a meeting point of the modern movement.
The building remains residential and can only be viewed from the outside. The Isokon Gallery on the ground floor opens occasionally and displays documents and furniture from the original period of the house.
The original shared kitchen system worked with a lift that delivered meals directly to the apartments. Marcel Breuer designed special plywood furniture for many of the small apartments, which is now considered collectible.
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