Robin Hood Gardens - concrete eyesore or masterpiece in Brutalist architecture? The controversial housing estate, built in 1972 by Alison and Peter Smithson, is under threat of demolition by a local council keen to cash in on the sky-rocketing value of land in the East End of London. Opposed to the move are a powerful architecture lobby who see the building as a key moment in the development of architectural thought. Caught in the middle are the building's residents, mostly of Bengali origin, whose opinion is, unsurprisingly, absent from the debate.