
On my walk to work I have passed this interesting raised modern building amongst traditional redbrick work of Sloane Sq and wondered what it is. Further investigation has lead to Peter Jones, John Lewis. The building itself comprises of five different buildings constructed between 1895 and 1965 that have been combined with a Modernist facade that dates back to 1937.
The ribbon windows are the view point of the cafe on the top floor that overlooks Sloane Square and the stone or concrete surface contrasts against the red and white traditional structures of buildings nearby. Reading and lectures recently have discussed the place of older structures and the importance of preservation vs destruction to build something new. Critics do not always agree that the internal layout of the 5 connecting buildings works but it cannot be denied that we do not appear to build things to last anymore and this is something that we can learn from the past. By trying to bring a dated structure into usefulness in the current day, we can identify what is successful and what is now redundant.