Hi everyone, we will be starting a new series emphasizing the multiple styles that exist in architecture! Although taking courses on architectural theory and history, I couldn’t retain much of the information in undergraduate studies while juggling everything else, and you might feel the same, too. In fact, I find it difficult even to know a handful of styles, understand its history, and know the defining qualities, although it is integral to a designer’s architectural knowledge. This might cause some of my professors to shake their heads, which we can discuss for another time. Today, the first architectural style we will be dissecting is Brutalist architecture!
The Origin
This style emerged during the 1950s stemming from the early-20th century modernist movement lasting to the 80s. Brutalism came into the scene both as an aesthetic innovator but also functional. After World War II ravaged the world, people worldwide were in dire need of housing. That’s when concrete construction came in to rescue! This relatively affordable and fast construction time lent way to the particular style’s dominance worldwide. Despite the oppressing appearance and leaky details, those concrete buildings saved countless people from homelessness! There is a good reason why the author of this book wants to rename brutalism as heroic: So at this point, you may be wondering, ‘so why do we call it brutalism anyway?’
If you didn’t know, brutalism is considered one of the most divisive among all architectural styles, thanks to the strong emotions it invokes among the design community and masses. Adding more fuel to the fire of division, brutalism is inadvertently associated with different ideologies based on a building’s location, like socialism, authoritarian power, or “new freedom.” Nonetheless, this style finds itself tied to a rich history while new architects tackle redefining its future. Without further ado, here are 5 key elements that can help you identify whether a building follows the brutalist style.
1. Béton Brut
Ironically, the term “brutalism” has nothing to do with the cold and unapproachable style. The word “brutalism” is derived from the French phrase, béton brut, meaning “raw or unfinished concrete.” The reason behind for brutalist’s unfinished concrete was post-World War II, nations around the world were looking to rebuild, and at that time, steel was too expensive to import. In the same beat, the rough surface of any brutalist building during this period was most likely caused by the quick wood formwork they used to construct to mitigate homelessness.
It’s not a surprise either to assume that this style was mostly defined by concrete, where during this time, modernist architects believed that buildings should not hide the construction of their form, amongst other beliefs. However, other common materials found in brutalist buildings include bricks, glass, steel, and rough-hewn stone.
2. Imposing and Monolithic
Now, just because a building happens to be fully constructed by concrete doesn’t mean it’s imposing and unapproachable, right? Of course not! Concrete is a building material that doesn’t immediately equate to imposing. For example, look at the works of Tadao Ando. Enough said. However, in brutalism, the bells of truth ring!
With its many ideological interpretations, brutalism in Britain and Eastern European countries such as Russian, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia was influenced by socialist ideals, resulting in buildings, austere, and soulless finding itself unattractive to the public’s eye. In others, it can be associated with authoritative power, where designers and builders sought to project a sense of strength through fortress-like designs. Still, you can’t blame the public if they don’t like it; if I were staring at a large concrete mass without a designer’s perspective, I’d be intimidated and off-put too!
3. Combination of Modular Elements and Geometric Elements
Another key element defining this style is the combination of repeating modular elements along with intentional geometrical elements. If you look at Unité d’habitation in the image above, you can easily spot the difference looking at the corner edge with the repeating openings versus the left geometric stair railing.
Modulation doesn’t always mean repetition either! Check out Habitat 67, designed by Moshe Safdie. This form of pre-construction allows for off-site manufacturing and rapid on-site assembly. That means builders can mass produce units in a controlled environment in a cost-efficient way and still create an intriguing look. Best of both worlds!
4. Hard Edges and Lines
Using the multiple examples above, many buildings of the style consist of hard edges and lines, although some may have geometric elements in contrast. This particular defining element is a by-product of modular elements, lack of embellishments, construction, and concrete’s behavior. This is trickier to measure, but if coupled with the other elements, then you’d know that what you are looking at is indeed a brutalist or brutalist-inspired building.
5. Lack of Ornamentation and Honest
The brutalist style uses raw concrete aligned with philosophies of honesty and lack of embellishments, which find itself rooted in modernist thinking. In fact, this is in direct opposition to the past prevailing architectural style of Beaux-Arts that was full of ornamentation and lavish decoration. Peter Smithson eloquently put,
Smithson’s opens the floor to discussion on what buildings can be characterized as brutalist. Now it’s important to remember that not all concrete buildings are brutalist, and not all brutalist buildings are concrete. Rather, it’s the reverence for the materials, combination of modular and geometric elements to the whole, and goal of egalitarianism to the deciding characteristics found in brutalism.
By the 1970s, brutalism lost its edge, and many of these monolithic structures were torn down. However, in 2006, three architects from Boston, Massachusetts, initiated a rebranding campaign to redefine and relabel Brutalism as “Heroic” architecture. Advocates for the preservation of brutalism say that its often misunderstood style should serve as a reminder of when governments invested in civic spaces that, which are lacking today.
What do you think? Are you a fan or not of brutalism? If you are, then make sure London is on your travel list! It’s considered the brutalism capital of the world, boasting over 50 buildings! That’s all we got for today! Let us know in the comments below how you feel about this style. Make sure to follow our YouTube and Instagram for more content!