Designed by the Russian-born architect Berthold Lubetkin and completed in 1935, the building transformed the possibilities of high-density urban housing while demonstrating that a block of flats could be both practical and architecturally ambitious.

Highpoint stands on North Hill, close to Highgate Village, on a site that was developed by the London County Council as part of an interwar programme of housing improvement.

Lubetkin was commissioned by the developer Henry Israel to design the apartment block, and construction was undertaken by the firm Tecton, the architectural practice Lubetkin had established in 1932 with a group of younger architects.

The result was strikingly different from the conventional mansion blocks of the period. Highpoint’s reinforced-concrete frame allowed Lubetkin to create a relatively light and open structure, with long horizontal bands of windows, projecting balconies and carefully proportioned façades.

The building was designed around two intersecting wings, producing a distinctive plan that allowed apartments to receive good natural light and ventilation.

Lubetkin’s architectural language drew heavily on European Modernism, but Highpoint was not simply an imported piece of continental avant-garde design. Its relationship with its London setting is one of its most important characteristics. The building rises above a landscaped site, surrounded by mature trees, and its pale rendered façades contrast with the greenery around it. Rather than treating the apartment block as an isolated object, Lubetkin integrated it into its surroundings.

Inside, the emphasis was equally modern. Apartments were planned with efficiency and hygiene in mind, reflecting contemporary ideas about healthy urban living. Built-in furniture, generous windows and carefully organised kitchens and bathrooms helped establish a new standard for apartment living. Highpoint was intended to demonstrate that modern housing could provide comfort, light and privacy without sacrificing density.

The building quickly attracted attention from architects and critics. Its sophisticated use of reinforced concrete and its elegant proportions placed it at the forefront of British Modernism. Le Corbusier, one of the leading figures of European modern architecture, reportedly described Highpoint as one of the finest examples of modern architecture in the world. Such praise helped establish Lubetkin’s reputation internationally.

Highpoint also illustrates the changing social aspirations of the 1930s. Its apartments were not conceived as municipal housing for the working classes but as desirable modern homes for a relatively affluent professional population. The building therefore occupied an interesting position between traditional London apartment living and the radical new forms of mass housing being explored across Europe.

A second building, Highpoint II, was completed nearby in 1938. Although also designed by Lubetkin and Tecton, it has a different character, with a more restrained façade and a different arrangement of apartments. Together, the two buildings form an important record of Lubetkin’s architectural development.

Highpoint was given Grade I listed status in 1970, reflecting its exceptional architectural and historical importance. Today it remains a working residential building rather than a museum or architectural monument. That continued use is perhaps the best testament to Lubetkin’s achievement. Nearly a century after its completion, Highpoint still demonstrates that ambitious architectural ideas, intelligent planning and everyday domestic life can coexist in a single building.