Brutalism seems to divide opinion like no other architecture. There are beautiful and numerous examples of these famed builds around the country, with some of the most famous examples spoken with a certain sense of austere and pride, such as The Barbican Centre, The Trellick Tower & The Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate (Rowley Way).
This architectural style is not known for its beauty and soft features, rather for its immense lines, raw facades and its ultimate draw, concrete! Between the 1950s and 1970s, these dominant grey buildings were designed by architects who thought they were beautiful in their raw form, hiding nothing.
Names like Goldfinger, Le Corbusier and Alison & Peter Smithson were the original advocates of the brutalist movement, and designed many of these now famous buildings around the world.
Appreciating Concrete
To understand the brutal art form of concrete, we need to revisit the the architecture of the last 70 years, with particular focus on the period between early to mid 20th century.
Le Corbusier is one of the most popular modernist architects from this period, and is regarded by many as the father of brutalism. His early work was entrenched in modernist principles, with a preference for whitewashed walls, simple lines and design.
This led to the undecorated nature of his brutalist designs… tall, unblemished, foreboding structures that hide nothing. Elements like lift shafts & walkways, that traditionally would be hidden, were now features for all the world to see.
Walkways on show – The Lilian Baylis School, a former brutalist building in Kennington, SE1, preserved now as housing.Â
Later brutalist designs in London had these core principles and only improved on them. Erno Goldfinger, a core believer in unblemished lines and plain, exposed design, was a huge proponent for these buildings. A prime example of this and regarded as his best work, The Trellick Tower in North Kensington, has everything on display.
The Trellick Tower in North Kensington
The unfinished nature of brutalism is actually a huge part of its appeal despite being considered an eyesore by some. Through the specific design and construction techniques, these buildings champion raw materials and there beauty. To stand before a brutalist structure is meant to be imposing, maybe even aggressive, in direct contrast to traditional Victorian and Georgian architecture.
The Rowley Way Estate, completed in 1978, is another prime example of brutalism, used perfectly for social housing & replaced a row of crumbling Georgian mansions. It is now world renowned, with local borough architect Neave Brown seeking inspiration from other brutalist schemes across London.
Beautiful exposed concrete curvature at Rowley Way
A one bedroom apartment we have for sale in Rowley Way for £375,000
Streets in the sky
Right at the core of the post WW2 rebuilding was concrete, the cheap, functional material used since early Georgian times. Classic concrete used to be rendered with the leftovers from the brick pits, but this is about displaying it in its crudest form.
The finest element of brutalism is not about the way it looks but that it was designed with these bullish intentions. By ensuring the foundations of the building were exposed, these pioneering architects could make the ordinary look like an art form, making them ‘streets in the sky’.
This was all about getting people away from the traffic, pushing communities together so neighbours could chat and children could play. In reality, it was never going to catch on in traditional low-lying UK cities, where suddenly there were towering blocks of concrete. People just didn’t like it.
After decades of criticism, many of these buildings were demolished, viewed as ugly concrete eyesores. The ones that have been retained are amongst the most beautiful, bold examples seen and we hope are retained for decades to come.
