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Five Masterpieces That
Changed the Face of Brutalism
February 15, 2016
Brick-like new tome Concrete Concept demonstrates the unexpected
serenity of some of the world's greatest Brutalist buildings
Photography from Concrete Concept: Brutalist Buildings Around the World, courtesy
of Frances Lincoln and Alamy
Text Madeleine Morley
Its oversized thickness makes holding the newly released Concept Concrete feel like
youve got an actual brick in your hands, not a classically seductive coffee table book
that takes you on a whirlwind tour of 50 of the worlds most striking and notorious
examples ofBrutalist architecture. Open the pages up and youll be greeted by light,
cheerful photographs and an accessible, tongue-and-cheek commentary not at all
what youd expect from a book about buildings that were emphatic demonstrations of
severity, abstraction and an ideologically specific ambition.
Concept Concrete looks at Brutalism, a movement which peaked in the 1960s with a
visual language that has become inextricably associated with the post-war welfare
state it developed from. The book refrains from viewing Brutalism from the point of
view of terror, anxiety and an often slummy grimness that it came to be associated
with. Instead, it admires these austere, raw concrete creations as examples of calming
oasis, as utopian, escapist refuges from the day-to-day reality of stressful urban life.
Its author Christopher Beanland has evidently spent a lot of time strolling through the
cool water gardens of the Barbican and admiring the open, newly green terraces of
Alexander Road Estate: the book reads Brutalism as if it has the peaceful allure of
jutting stones in a sand garden an abstract Zen mentality in a practical social setting.
To celebrate the release of Concept Concrete, weve selected five exceptional
examples of Brutalist buildings which, as well as possessing intimidating, severe
faades, shape space and propose living possibilities in a way that cultivates a sense of
calm and contemplation.
Geisel Library Photography from Concrete Concept: Brutalist Buildings Around the
World, courtesy of Frances Lincoln and Alamy
Geisel Library, San Diego, 1970
Rising from the ground like a glass and concrete bonsai tree, the Geisel Library juts
across the skyline in a way thats both space-age and organic. It has an air of
theatricality perhaps unsurprising as a former Hollywood art director William
Pereira designed it and its whimsical shape seems to elegantly reflect the world of
its namesake, the writer Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss).
Maria-Magdalena Church, Freiburg, Germany, 2004
This Neo-Brutalist oddity erupts dramatically from its surroundings, a bright flash of
brownish grey against the greenery that defines so much of the Freiburg landscape.
The church is split into two parts: one half serving Catholics, and the other
Protestants, and its fluctuating, contorting, near-rectangular shape evokes the swelling
music that emits from its two halls. Built in 2004 by architect Susanne Gross, the
structure suggests that Brutalisms spirit is still alive, shaking and breaking from the
walls of this curious but beautifully crafted concrete church.
Wotruba Church Photography from Concrete Concept: Brutalist Buildings Around
the World, courtesy of Frances Lincoln and Alamy
Wotruba Church, Vienna, 1976
This towering Tetris of a church sits heavily anchored into the side of a hill above the
Austrian capital. In juxtaposition to its heavy, opaque concrete shell, the structures
windows are large and reflective, creating a sense of airy movement that
harmoniously balances light, material and the surrounding greenery. Wotruba is a
modern-day Stonehenge; designed by sculptor Fritz Wotruba, its also a pilgrimage
point for those interested in where modern art and architecture vividly intersect.
Regjevingskvartlet, Oslo, 1958 & 1969
Erling Viksj designed the looming high-rise government building in 1958, adding the
low-rise, Y-shaped block in 1969. The speckled, rough exterior is particularly
memorable because of Picassos concrete blast murals that adorn the facade with
fractured sea-side scenes, as well as the vivid icons crafted by Norwegian artists that
chequer up the side of the high-rise.
Since the 2011 car bomb attack in Oslo, the government is considering demolishing
Viksjs striking addition to the Norwegian skyline, an action that is calling into
question whatll happen to the precious concrete murals. Heres an example of
Brutalism as canvas, and of concrete being used as a plastic, artistic medium.
Habitat
67 Photography from Concrete Concept: Brutalist Buildings Around the World,
courtesy of Frances Lincoln and Alamy
Habitat 67 Montreal, 1967
Moshe Safdics iconic residential block, originally built as a pavilion for Expo67, is
perhaps one of the most recognizable buildings in Montreal: its cascading, bric-abrac shape dramatically stands out against the neighbouring river and green river
bank. Roof gardens and walkways meander across the top, revealing a variety of
viewpoints that boldly display the intricacies of the structure and surrounding city.
Concrete Concept: Brutalist Buildings Around the World by Christopher Beanland is
out now, published by Frances Lincoln.
