12 examples of brutalism from different countries and where the love for concrete came from (15 photos)

Brutalism is not just the Soviet Union: why concrete buildings were so popular.





Brutalism has a very difficult fate: this architectural movement was supposed to symbolize a bright future, but very quickly became hated. Brutalist buildings are now considered too crude and ugly, but this was not always the case. So where did this love for concrete and simple angular shapes come from?



Brutalism is one of the main branches of modernism; like everything else in art, it arose as a response to what was happening in the world. It appeared in Great Britain in the middle of the twentieth century and began to develop very quickly.

It was then, after the global upheavals and crisis, that active urban restructuring began, and the goal arose to provide all segments of the population with comfortable housing. It turned out that the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to do this is to give up frills and add functionality to buildings. Of course, this refusal perfectly corresponded to the new trends in society directed against the bourgeoisie: it was necessary to renounce ostentation and pomp, and therefore, unnecessary decor and expensive embellishment. This is how the idea arose to choose simpler materials, such as reinforced concrete, steel, brick, and often not even process them on top. In addition, the huge buildings, rough and massive, looked impressive, especially against the background of greenery: they seemed to show who was boss here.





It is not surprising that brutalism became associated with communist countries. Perhaps it is for this reason that brutalism began to be viewed negatively in other countries. Very soon many architects began to avoid him.

Meteorological observatory on the border of Poland and the Czech Republic



Complex of apartment buildings in the town of Ivry-sur-Seine near Paris



Reinforced concrete fountain in the Armenian city of Gyumri: it has not been functioning for several decades



Apartment building in Johannesburg, South Africa



House in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo



Residential complex "Habitat 67" in Montreal, Canada



Swimming pool in London



Brutalism in Japanese: the Hiroshima Peace Museum



At Disney's Contemporary Resort in Florida



Headquarters of CBR Cement Company in Brussels



Opera and Ballet Theater in Cheboksary



BBC office in Glasgow, Scotland