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In a recent article, The Nursery that Time Forgot,

In a recent article, The Nursery that Time Forgot, The Times explored the evolution of nursery design but missed a key figure: Ernő Goldfinger. Best known for his brutalist masterpieces like Balfron and Trellick Towers, Goldfinger also applied his modernist principles to early years education—most notably in a radical nursery design created in collaboration with Mary Medd and educational toy pioneers Paul and Marjorie Abbatt in the late 1930s.

Read our new Greyscape.com post (link in header) about the fascinating collaboration and the Goldfinger- Abbbatt award winning Building Frame, still in production in the 1970s.

This was no ordinary nursery. Designed for the Contemporary Industrial Design Exhibition and later published in The Architects’ Journal, it embodied the modernist belief that spaces should shape behaviour. Goldfinger rejected the heavy, restrictive furniture of traditional nurseries in favour of a flexible, modular environment that encouraged independence and movement. Low, accessible shelves, adaptable tables and chairs, and built-in storage created an open, functional space designed entirely around the needs of young children.

Goldfinger’s work with the Abbatts extended to their toy shop at 94 Wimpole Street, where he applied the same principles of efficiency, simplicity, and child-focused design. He also designed their family home. These projects were part of a broader progressive movement in the 1930s, rethinking childhood environments with the same rigour. We haven’t a photo of the nursery available, instead the Goldfinger family home on Willow Road, the interior of which is said to inspire Chamberlin, Powell and Bon designers of the Barbican Estate. Image Steve Cadman CC BY SA 2.0

The Mill Owners Association Building, an iconic ar

The Mill Owners Association Building, an iconic architectural work in Ahmedabad, India, designed by Le Corbusier in 1954. It’s the headquarters for the Ahmedabad Textile Mill Owners Association (ATMA) and is a prime example of modernist architecture in India. All about making a statement about the importance of the association, Its brutalist beauty lies in its sense of volume and light and its use of raw concrete surfaces. The use of brise-soleil, sun breakers and perforated screens help regulate sunlight and ventilation. Corbusier’s five points of architecture are noted, it has a sense of almost floating, raised on pilotis, creating an open ground floor. Inside Corbusier used a favourite, ramps to connect floors.

Image @johngollings ©

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