James Upsher

📞 Good news in the neighbourhood: The brutalist Hayes North Telephone Exchange has been added to the London Borough of @Hillingdon's local list, recognising it as a building of architectural and historical significance. Designed 1964-68 and constructed in 1970-72, the exchange is an exemplar of public building works by the Property Services Agency (PSA: successor to the Ministry of Public Building and Works) and Gray Associates. It’s notable for the involvement of George Reginald Yeats, senior PSA architect, who is best known as the senior architect for the BT Tower (1961-65). The complex massing and unashamed sculptural pre-cast concrete also echoes the works of Kenzo Tange, Kisho Kurokawa and the Japanese Metabolism movement. Following a six-week public consultation by the council earlier in the year, an overwhelming 68% of respondents supported the inclusion. The council’s Cabinet requested further investigation into the buildings redevelopment potential if it was added to the list and after completing a review, it was formally approved last month. C20 Society enthusiastically supported the local listing and believes the building would be well suited to future conversion and adaptive reuse.