Tecton Group

Infobox Architectural Practice

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caption = The Highpoint II apartment building designed by the group
name = Tecton Group
architects = Berthold Lubetkin, Francis Skinner, Denys Lasdun, Godfrey Samuel, Lindsay Drake
city =
founded = 1932
dissolved =
awards =
significant_buildings= Highpoint Towers, Finsbury Health Centre
significant_projects =
significant_design = |

The Tecton Group was a radical architectural group co-founded by Berthold Lubetkin, Francis Skinner, Denys Lasdun, Godfrey Samuel, and Lindsay Drake in 1932. The name "Tecton" came from "architecton", the Greek word for architecture. The group was one of the leaders in bringing continental modernism to Britain.

History

The group's first commission was the 1932-1934 gorilla house in the London Zoo in Regent's Park. After the successful completion of the gorilla house, the group built a penguin pool for the zoo, which contained a double helix-shaped walkway for the penguins and a large swinmming area. The group's successes at the London Zoo resulted in them designing two other zoos: Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire and Dudley Zoo in West Midlands. The group then designed the Highpoint I tower, an apartment complex in Highgate. The complex set a new standard for luxury in city life, even though it was originally intended for working-class residents. The group later designed the Highpoint II tower on an adjacent piece of land, which was even more luxurious than its predecessor. After completing Highpoint I, Tecton received a commission to build the Finsbury Health Centre. The commission was the first public commission granted to a modernist architecture group. The building was created with the intention of improving public health through its construction by creating a positive atmosphere and encouraging patrons to enjoy the outdoors through murals. The borough of Finsbury was impressed with the Health Centre and commissioned Tecton to work on several housing projects in the borough.

References

* [http://www.designmuseum.org/design/berthold-lubetkin Design Museum-Berthold Lubetkin]