Minimal

Polishing turds, pt 2

Not so long back, I blogged about the remarkable transformation that Cale Cross House, a tower block next to the Tyne Bridge, was undergoing. I likened the process to the miracle of turd-polishing. Well, shortly after I committed that thought to Blogger’s databases, it seems the city council has followed suit just across the road at the All Saints complex.

The All Saints buildings — Bede House, Aidan House and Cuthbert House — are quite possibly my all-time favourites in the love-to-hate-them, crappy-concrete-carbuncle charts. They’re absolutely hideous creations, with floor upon grim, grey floor of offices jutting out like stacked sidepods bought from some Battlestar Galactica garage sale. (Actually, that makes it sound almost retro-chic, but trust me, it isn’t.)

Imagine my shock, then, when my daily walk past Bede House found me thinking “Hmmmm... that’s a nice change; I wonder what’s going on there.” What I was looking at was actually just a load of scaffolding obscuring the buildings, but it was still a pleasant change. Even more surprising was the fact they actually looked quite good once it had been removed. A quick lick of white paint, and all was well in the world. Gone was the drab grey and the almost complete lack of contrast. In its place was a remarkable, bright office block, whose clean white walls contrasted wonderfully with the dark, cobbled towers at its corners. Next thing you know, they’ll be painting the ceilings in Manors multi-storey car park in pastel shades!