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Why do architects love Brutalism?
Perhaps no other architectural style elicits the emotional reaction that brutalism does. Brutalist architecture looks heavy and immovable but is artistically sculptural giving it unique qualities that rely on depth to create patterns and compositions with light and shadows.
What is Brutalist architecture?
Brutalism, also known as Brutalist architecture, is a style that emerged in the 1950s and grew out of the early-20th century modernist movement. Brutalist buildings are characterised by their massive, monolithic and ‘blocky’ appearance with a rigid geometric style and large-scale use of poured concrete.
Is Brutalist architecture still used?
While some consider them eyesores, many others believe that their destruction is both losing a piece of history and losing a piece of beautiful architecture. Still, many examples of Brutalism can still be found throughout the world, especially in London and notable American and Canadian cities.
Brutalist architecture was not so named because of its totalitarian origins, nor its apparent forcefulness and aggression, but, rather prosaically from the descriptive phrase used by Le Corbusier in connection with his work at Unité, where he described the materiality of his masterpiece as ‘béton brut,’ meaning raw concrete.
Was Le Corbusier a Brutalist?
In Maisons Jaoul, Le Corbusier employed rough brickwork, tile-surfaced concrete vaults, and raw plywood, mimicking traditional vernacular building with industrial materials. To be sure, at least one Brutalist building had appeared in Britain by 1954, but that fact cannot obscure the role of Le Corbusier’s works as precursors of the new wave.
Why is Brutalist architecture a symbol of urban decay?
While brutalist structures are efficient and inexpensive to build, the outside quickly weathers and the interior is difficult to repair and remodel. This causes the buildings to fall into disrepair, in addition to being magnets for graffiti thanks to their large, flat surfaces. As a result, brutalist architecture has become a symbol of urban decay.
What is brutalism and why is it important?
It was the radicalism of its approach rather than the persuasiveness of its early monuments that enabled Brutalism to force a transformation of the accepted conventions of modernism. Despite its short life as an identifiable movement, Brutalism came to occupy a central position in the redefinition of the history of 20th-century architecture.