2/16/2016 Brutalist architecture ‐ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Brutalist architecture From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Brutalist architecture is a movement in architecture that flourished from the 1950s to the mid­1970s, descending from the modernist architectural movement of the early 20th century. The term originates from the French word for "raw" in the term used by Le Corbusier to describe his choice of material béton brut (raw concrete).[1][2] British architectural critic Reyner Banham adapted the term into "brutalism" (originally "New Brutalism") to identify the emerging style. Hubert H. Humphrey Building, designed by Marcel Brutalism became popular with governmental and Breuer, headquarters of the U.S. Department of institutional clients, with numerous examples in Health and Human Services, Washington, D. C. Britain, France, Germany, Japan, the United States, Canada, Brazil, the Philippines, Israel and Australia. Examples are typically massive in character (even when not large), fortress­like, with a predominance of exposed concrete construction, or in the case of the "brick brutalists," ruggedly combine detailed brickwork and concrete. There is often an emphasis on graphically expressing in the external elevations and in the whole­site architectural plan the main functions and people­flows of the buildings. Brutalism became popular for educational buildings (especially university buildings), but was relatively rare for corporate projects. Brutalism became favoured for many government projects, high­rise housing, and shopping centres. In its ruggedness and lack of concern to look comfortable or easy, Brutalism can be seen as a reaction by a younger generation to the lightness, optimism, and frivolity of some 1930s and 1940s architecture. In one critical appraisal by Banham, Brutalism was posited not as a style but as the expression of an atmosphere among architects of moral seriousness. "Brutalism" as an architectural critical term was not always consistently used by critics; architects themselves usually avoided using it altogether. More recently, "brutalism" has become used in popular discourse to refer to buildings of the late twentieth century that are large or unpopular – as a synonym for "brutal." Contents 1 History 2 Characteristics 3 Designers 4 On university campuses 5 Criticism and reception 6 Brutalism today 7 See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture 1/7 2/16/2016 Brutalist architecture ‐ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 8 Notes 9 References 10 External links History The term "brutalism" was originally coined by the Swedish architect Hans Asplund to describe Villa Göth in Uppsala, designed in 1949 by his contemporaries Bengt Edman and Lennart Holm. He originally used the Swedish­language term nybrutalism (new brutalism), which was picked up by a group of visiting English architects, including Michael Ventris. In England, the term was further adopted by architects Alison and Peter Smithson.[3][4] The term gained wide currency when the British architectural historian Reyner Banham used it in the title of his 1966 book, The New Brutalism: Ethic or Aesthetic?, to characterise a somewhat recently established cluster of architectural approaches, particularly in Europe.[4] The best known early Brutalist architecture is the work of the Swiss architect Le Corbusier, in particular his 1952 Unité d'Habitation and the 1953 Secretariat Building (Palace of Assembly) in Chandigarh, India. Brutalism gained considerable Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation in momentum in the United Kingdom during the mid­twentieth Marseille, France (1952) century, as economically depressed (and World War II­ravaged) communities sought inexpensive construction and design methods for low­cost housing, shopping centres, and government buildings. Nonetheless, many architects chose the Brutalist style even when they had large budgets, as they appreciated the 'honesty', the sculptural qualities, and perhaps, the uncompromising, anti­bourgeois, nature of the style. Combined with the socially progressive intentions behind Brutalist streets in the sky housings such as Corbusier's Unité, Brutalism was promoted as a positive option for forward­moving, modern urban housing. Characteristics Brutalist buildings are usually formed with repeated modular elements forming masses representing specific functional zones, distinctly articulated and grouped together into a unified whole. Concrete is used for its raw and unpretentious honesty, contrasting dramatically with the highly refined and ornamented buildings constructed in the elite Beaux­Arts style. Surfaces of cast concrete are made to reveal the basic nature of its construction, revealing the texture of the wooden planks used for the in­situ casting forms. Brutalist building materials also include brick, glass, steel, rough­hewn stone, and gabions. Conversely, not all buildings exhibiting an exposed concrete exterior can be considered Brutalist, and may belong to one of a range of architectural styles including Constructivism, International Style, Expressionism, Postmodernism, and Deconstructivism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture 2/7 2/16/2016 Brutalist architecture ‐ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Another common theme in Brutalist designs is the exposure of the building's functions—ranging from their structure and services to their human use—in the exterior of the building. In the Boston City Hall, designed in 1962, the strikingly different and projected portions of the building indicate the special nature of the rooms behind those walls, such as the mayor's office or the city council chambers. From another perspective, the design of the Hunstanton School included placing the facility's water tank, normally a hidden service feature, in a prominent, visible tower. Brutalism as an architectural philosophy was often also associated with a socialist utopian ideology, which tended to be supported by its designers, especially Alison and Peter Smithson, near the height of the style. This style had a strong position in the architecture of European communist countries from the mid­1960s to the late 1980s (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, GDR, USSR, Yugoslavia[5]). In Czechoslovakia brutalism was presented as an attempt to create a "national" but also "modern socialist" architectural style. Designers In the United Kingdom, Architects associated with the Brutalist style include Ernő Goldfinger, wife­ and­husband pairing Alison and Peter Smithson, some of the work of Sir Basil Spence, the LCC/GLC Architects Trellick Tower, London, 1966–1972, Department, Owen Luder, designed by Ernő Goldfinger, is a John Bancroft, and, Grade II* listed building. arguably perhaps, Sir Denys Lasdun, Sir Leslie Martin, and Sir James Stirling and James Gowan with their early works. Western City Gate, Belgrade, Serbia In Australia, examples of the Brutalist style are Robin Gibson's Queensland Art Gallery, Ken Woolley's Fisher Library at the University of Sydney (his State Office Block is another), the High Court of Australia by Colin Madigan in Canberra, and WTC Wharf (World Trade Centre in Melbourne).[6] John Andrews's government and institutional structures in Australia also exhibit the style. In the United States Paul Rudolph and Ralph Rapson are both noted Brutalists. Walter Netsch is known for his Brutalist academic buildings (see above). Marcel Breuer was known for his "soft" approach to the style, often using curves rather than corners. In Argentina Clorindo Testa created the Bank of London and South America headquarters, one of the best examples of the fifties. More recent Modernists such as I. M. Pei, Gottfried Böhm and Tadao Ando also have designed notable Brutalist works. In Brazil, the style is associated with the Paulista School and is evident in the works of Pritzker Architecture Prize­winning architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha (2006). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture 3/7 2/16/2016 Brutalist architecture ‐ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In the Philippines, Leandro Locsin designed massive brutalist structures, including the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine International Convention Center. In New Zealand, Sir Miles Warren and his practice Warren & Mahoney led the development of the so­called "Christchurch School" of architecture, which fused Brutalist architectural style with Scandinavian and Japanese values of straightforwardness. Warren's buildings have had a The St Giles Hotel in Central London significant effect on New Zealand's public architecture. In Yugoslavia, Božidar Janković was an eminent representative of the so­called "Belgrade School of residence", identifiable by its characteristic functionalist relations on the basis of the flat[7][8] and elaborated in detail the architecture. His architectural structures, although built more than four decades, today are in better physical condition of many buildings which were built many years later. This speaks not only about the quality of the author, but also on the characteristics of the architecture and quality construction in Serbia during the last decades of the last century. Architects whose work reflects certain aspects of the Brutalist style include Louis Kahn. Architectural historian William Jordy says that although Kahn was "[o]pposed to what he regarded as the muscular posturing of most Brutalism", some of his work "was surely informed by some of the same ideas that came to momentary focus in the Brutalist position."[9] On university campuses In the late 1960s, many campuses