Brutalist architecture is a style that was born out of necessity. This style emerged during the Britan’s Post-War reconstruction. The opinion on this type of architecture it gets mixed reviews from critiques and architects alike, some call it soulless and cold while others call it iconic and timeless. It is not so named because of its savagery and menacing appeal. The term is simply taken from béton brut, French for “raw concrete.”
1. Geisel Library, California by William L.Pereira & Associates
This alien-looking building could be called a mix of brutalism and futurism. Though it has strong concrete pillars, it gives the feeling of levitating from the ground. It has a lot of glass, looks like a massive building while still giving a feeling of hovering.
2. Barbican Centre and Estate, London by Chamberlin, Powell & Ban
This building is representative of a vertical garden city. This stands as one of the most renowned brutalist buildings anywhere in the world. The design of the estate allows the area to be entirely pedestrianized, with rail and road traffic passing underground, out of sight.
3. Bank of London and South America, Buenos Aires by Clorindo Testa and SEPRA
The building has arrays of thin and deep concrete columns at the street edge, while the glass facade is set back, creating a sort of portico. This was designed so to give a generous space for pedestrian space at the ground while maintaining a consistent streetscape.
4. Spomenik Memorials, Yugoslavia
This surreal war memorial has a beautiful history. This undulating concrete giant, clad scales of stainless steel, rises to 120 feet high.
5. The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, San Francisco by Pier Luigi Nervi & P’etro Belluschi
This building fascinatingly fuses traditional catholic faith and modern technology. Taking inspiration from the cross, this cathedral emphasizes both the vertical and horizontal. This building evokes a union between heaven and earth through balanced simplicity made realist with the brutalist design.
6. Trellick Tower, London by Erno Goldfinger
This building features numerous unconventional design elements. This building dominates the immediate skyline. Numerous space-saving devices are incorporated into the design. One example is the entrance to the bathrooms where sliding doors are used in place of traditional swing doors, which would have consumed valuable floor space.
7. Hill of the Buddha, Japan by Tadao Ando
This is a monumental lavender-covered temple enveloping a giant statue of Buddha at the Makomanai Takino Cemetery in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo.
8. Boston City Hall, Boston by Kallmann, McKinnell & Knowles
This building was designed to bridge the public and private sectors of government. The architects strove to produce architecture that was involved with its social, cultural, and political context.
9. The Met Breuer, New York City by Marcel Breuer
This museum features different kinds of art, and of itself is a piece of art. This landmark building uses concrete and granite.
