WHAT WHY is it &
is it
Coming
Back
They say that trends are circular and what’s old becomes new again. This is true for fashion, music, and art. In the case of architecture, there’s no architectural style that exemplifies this principle better than Brutalism. From the mid-20th century, this style rose in popularity before reaching its peak in the mid-1970s, when it came crashing down as a model of bad taste. But that’s all changing now, with a renewed interest and appreciation for this once derided architectural style.
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nown for its use of functional reinforced concrete and steel, modular elements, and utilitarian feel, Brutalist architecture was primarily used for institutional buildings. They were also used for important residential buildings in order to rationally address the critical need for housing. Imposing and geometric, Brutalist buildings have a distinct graphic quality that is part of what makes them so appealing today. But why is brutalism called brutalism, is it because of its “brutal” and rough appearance? The word Brutalism doesn’t come from its harsh aesthetic, but from the material it is made of. Béton brut is a French term that translates literally to “raw concrete” and is also used to describe the iconic aesthetic known as Brutalist architecture. Associated with schools, churches, libraries, theaters, and social housing projects, Brutalism is often intertwined with 20th-century urban theory that looked toward socialist ideals. With the need for construction after World War II, Brutalism took hold around the world, but particularly in the UK and Eastern
European Communist countries, where it was sometimes used tocreate a new national socialist architecture. Brutalism and Brutalist architecture were influenced by all of these post-war problems and the modernist idea that rational design could produce the best architecture.
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f you are familiar with architectural history, you may think that a lot of these ideas seem to overlap with modernism. Brutalism is actually a specific branch of modern architecture. Since it is so distinct, some believe it must be an example of postmodern architecture in response to earlier styles, but this is not true. It is, like most modernisms, a study of the simplest possible solution to a spatial or programmatic problem. It was also especially conscious of integrity or honesty when expressing the material used in the architecture—hence the usage of often blank concrete walls.
The ORIGINS of S Definition bru·tal·ism Noun
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style of architecture or art characterized by a deliberate plainness, crudity, or violence of imagery. The term was first applied to functionalist buildings of the 1950s and 1960s that made much use of steel and concrete in starkly massive blocks.
ome believe that Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier‘s love of concrete may have started Brutalism. The Unité d’Habitation in Marseilles, France was his first project in 10 years, World War II having interrupted his practice. Completed in 1952 and created as housing for the working class, Le Corbusier’s design called for a giant reinforced concrete framework fit with modular apartments. The mammoth complex, which could house up to 1,600 people, was largely devoid of decorative elements and laid the framework for future Brutalist projects.
New Appreciation for BRUTALISM.
BRUTALISM B R U TA L
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ver the past 5 years, a new appreciation for Brutalism has emerged. Books like SOS Brutalism: A Global Survey, How to Love Brutalism, Soviet Bus Stops, and This Brutal World all celebrate the artistry of the architectural style. Virginia McLeod, the editor of Phaidon’s Atlas of Brutalist Architecture, first noticed a renewed interest in Brutalism on Instagram. “I noticed more and more interest in brutalist architecture,” she says. “People were excited about it and loved the graphic quality of it.” The hashtag #brutalism has over 500,000 images and conservation groups are increasingly trying to save examples of Brutalism, which are all too often demolished.
New Brutalist projects are even being built with distinct monumental concrete volumes, though the revival is often branded as “Neo Brutalism.” No one knows exactly why Brutalism has become fashionable once again, but Brad Dunning of GQ has an interesting theory: “Brutalism is the techno music of architecture, stark and menacing. Brutalist buildings are expensive to maintain and difficult to destroy. They can’t be easily remodeled or changed, so they tend to stay the way the architect intended. Maybe the movement has come roaring back into style because permanence is particularly attractive in our chaotic and crumbling world.”
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