In 2022, a group of German museums, non-profits, and trade magazines came together to launch #SOSBrutalism, a campaign to save Brutalist architecture around the world from demolition.
Where others see concrete eyesores devoid of warmth or character, representatives of the Deutches Arkitecturmuseum, the Wüstenrot Foundation, and other organizations involved with the campaign recognize Brutalism as an important chapter in the history of architecture, urban planning, and class conflict that should not just be preserved, but revived.
Nowadays, many Brutalist buildings across the world are being torn down. Not only because their style has gradually fallen out of favor with locals, but also because they were—on principle—made from cheap material. Where did Brutalism come from, what is it, and how did it end up as the second-most divisive architectural movement after Blobism?
What makes a building Brutalist?
“Brutalism” comes from the French word for untreated or exposed concrete, “béton brut.” Although there is some disagreement over where the term comes from, most sources attribute its coinage to the French architect Le Corbusier (full name Charles-Édouard Jeanneret), who used it to describe one of his housing projects, Unité d’Habitation, in 1952.
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier, in his atelier in Paris, 1955. Photo: brandstaetter images/Franz Hubmann via Getty Images.
“Béton brut” not only describes the movement’s preferred building blocks of concrete, steel, and other industrial materials that make up the skeleton of most large structures, but also hints at the philosophy that underpins this choice. Where most architects build on top of their skeletons, Brutalism leaves the foundation exposed, creating a look its proponents have alternately designated as honest, authentic, raw. In short, brutal.
Okay, but why?
The short answer is: Marxism. In theory, Brutalism is influenced by the ideas of socialist thinkers and revolutionaries. Rejecting the luscious decorations of bourgeois apartment buildings and royal palaces, Brutalist architects were deeply concerned with providing quality housing for the working class, and sought to design buildings that would close class distinctions rather than widen them.
The Ringway Centre in Birmingham, UK. Photo: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images.
That’s not to say Brutalism is all ideology and no aesthetics, though. Despite being frequently described as ugly and uninteresting, open-minded observers find that Brutalist structures possess a certain quiet appeal, expressed through their uniform mass, rather intricate geometric shapes, and the way those shapes interact with sunlight.
When did Brutalism become popular?
Shortly after the Second World War, and for good reason. While socially conscious architecture and urban planning certainly appealed to a Europe retreating from the brink of collapse, the primary reason Brutalist architects were seldom out of work in the ensuing decades is that their designs were cheaper and easier to construct than those by architects associated with more decorative art movements. In the long run, this approach did make their designs less durable.
The House of Soviets in Kaliningrad, Russia. Photo: Michal Fludra/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
Subsequent generations of Brutalist architects adapted the style to suit the needs of the communities and cultures they were serving. While buildings in the U.K. were designed to make the most of the limited sunlight, those in Kazakhstan were designed to block heat and keep residents cool. Brutalism became especially popular in the Soviet Union, which had an increasing need for low-cost communal housing.
Who were some famous Brutalist architects?
The most famous Brutalist architect is the aforementioned Le Corbusier. A writer, painter, and—not coincidentally—urban planner from Switzerland, he outlined his artistic philosophy in a treatise titled “Five Points of Modern Architecture,” based on his work on the Unité d’habitation, the residential unit in Marseille that features shared spaces for dining, reading, and shopping.
Another noteworthy Brutalist architect is Moshe Safdie. A polymath in his own right, Safdie garnered critical acclaim as an author and educator. He is best known for designing Habitat 67, a residential building in Montreal. Based on his master’s thesis, it is made up of large concrete blocks and houses no less than 164 apartment units.
British architects Peter Smithson (1923-2003) and Alison Smithson (1923-1993) pictured on October 20th, 1961. Photo: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
Last but not least there are Alison Margaret and Peter Denham Smithson, two English architects who helped popularize a sub-genre of Brutalism that became known as New Brutalism. Populating postwar Britain with affordable, large-scale residential buildings, the Smithsons were even more concerned with socialist ideals than their peers, treating architecture as the synthesis of urban planning, education, and housing. For the couple, Brutalism was not a style, but an ethic.
What are some famous Brutalist buildings?
One of the most famous pieces of Brutalist architecture in the United States is the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C., the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Built in 1975 and designed by the architecture firm Charles F. Murphy and Associates, it’s frequently described as the ugliest building in the country, its unremarkable exterior drawing attention away from the intrigue inside.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters building in Washington, DC. Photo: J. David Ake/Getty Images.
Amsterdam is known for its historic town houses, but the city has its fair share of Brutalist architecture, too. Most were built in the previous century to function as offices for corporations and government offices, or residential buildings for the working class. New Brutalist buildings are still being built today, including Stepstone, a staircase-like high rise building on the Zuidas, Amsterdam’s equivalent of Wall Street, 216 subsidized rental units.
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