brutalism

1. b r u t a l i s m
SAURABH P
. CHOUDHAR
J (F
.J.M. ARCH – JNEC)

2. b r u t a l i s mH I S T O R J
 brutalist architecture flourished – 1950’s till 1970’s
 descending from MODERNIST ARCHITECTURAL MOVEMENT
of early 20th Century
 it gained momentum after WW II
 economically depressed countries sought inexpensive
construction methods
 later, many architects choose brutalism for large budget projects

3. b r u t a l i s mH
 the term originates from french word for
“RAW” as Le Corbusier
described his choice of material –
I S T O R J
UNITE D’HABITATION,
FRANCE
“BETON BRUT” – raw concrete SECRETARIATBUILDING,
CHANDIGARH
 later Reyner Banham gave the term
“BRUTALISM” to this emerging style
 the best work of brutalism was by Le Corbusier for
1952 – UNITE D’HABITATION, FRANCE &
1953 – SECRETARIAT BUILDING, CHANDIGARH

4. b r u t a l i s mH I S T O R J

5. b r u t a l i s mC H A R A C T ER I S T I C S
 strong bold shapes
 reinforced concrete structures
 large areas of blank wall
 diagonal, sloping or strong
curved elements contrasting
Sunset Chapel, Acapulco
with horizontal & vertical members Court Building, Buffalo City De Rotterdam, Rotterdam
Habitat 67 in Montreal, Canada

6. b r u t a l i s mC H A R A C T ER I S T I C S
 formed with repeated modular elements
surfaces of cast concrete are made to
reveal basic nature of Constn.
reveling texture of wooden planks used
in-situ constn.
 brutalist bldg. mat. also include BRICK,
GLASS, STEEL
Villa Göth
 exposed conc. ext. can be brutalist & can belong to
CONSTRUCTIVISM, EXPRESSIONISM,
POST MODERNISM, DECONSTRUCTIVISM

7. b r u t a l i s mC H A R A C T ER I S T I C S
 exposure of
building structure & services
 1962-BOSTON CITY HALL – projected portions of
bldg. indicate spcl. Nature of rooms.
HUNSTANTON SCHOOL – water tank is prominent
visible tower
 brutalism-as an Arch. Philosophy was
associated SOCIALIST IDEOLOGY
BOSTON CITY HALL
 in Czechoslovakia brutalism was
presented as a NATIONAL – MODERN
SOCIALIST ARCHITECTURAL STYLE
HUNSTANTON
SCHOOL

8. b r u t a l i s F
m
A M OU S A R C H I T EC T S

9. b r u t a l i s F
m
A M OU S A R C H I T EC T S
1966–1972
is a Grade II listed building.

10. b r u t a l i s mB U I L D I N G S
Geisel Library, University of California, San Diego
Grand Central Water Tower, Johannesburg

11. b r u t a l i s mB U I L D I N G S
Residential tower, Saint
Petersburg University of Massachusetts
Tehran City Theatre, Tehran

12. b r u t a l i s mB U I L D I N G S
Trans World Airlines (TWA) Terminal, JFK
Airport, New York, New York, USA, 1962 by
Eero Saarinen and Associates
Art Museum, Colgate
Western City Gate, Belgrade,
Serbia

13. b r u t a l i s mW H A T ’S W R O N G
 fails horribly when neglected
 quality of concrete-the way its cured, bldg. location
 crumbling, cracking & discoloring of concrete
 cracks in concrete needs to be repaired urgently to
reduce reinforcement rusting
this is reoccurring work hence becomes expensive,
time consuming.
 no one likes to live in crumbling bldg. which has become
BRUTALL
Y UGL
Y

14. b r u t a l i s mT O D A J
 was dead by 1980’s giving way to STRUCTURAL
EXPRESSIONISM & DECONSTRUCTIVISIM
 it’s experiencing an update in recent years, with
sandblasted
Pierresvives, Montpellier by Zaha Hadid Architects (2012)
stone like surface
 these can also be noticed in renovations of
brutalist bldgs.
 several brutalist bldgs. have been granted
LISTEDST
A
TUS
Casar de Cáceres Bus Station, Cáceres, Spain, 2003

15. b r u t a l i s mC O N C L U S I O N
 war – ravaged Britain wanted a solution that looked modern & forward thinking & that filled
with the excitement that followed the initial post-war depression
 the undeniable honest approach to architecture that demanded form follow function &
avoided unnecessary decorations / flourishes
 the brutalism approach was all about showing off the materials from which the bldg. was

made, about sharp angles, rough surfacing & exposed services
short lived fashion
building projects going on at the time of its peak leaves a lasting legacy

16. b r u t a l i s mT H A N fi J O U
SAURABH P
. CHOUDHARJ (F
.J.M. ARCH – JNEC)