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Styles and Movements

Brutalism

BROO-tl-iz-um
Also Known As New Brutalism
Postwar and Late Modern Architecture

The postwar architecture of exposed raw concrete, named from the French beton brut, the untreated concrete Le Corbusier left visible at the Unite d'Habitation in Marseille. Through the 1950s to the 1970s it became the style of universities, housing estates, city halls and cultural centers worldwide, admired for its honesty and monumentality and attacked for its bleakness, and it remains architecture's most argued-over inheritance.

Facts
Disputed
Period
to 1980 2
Sources give a range rather than a single year: popularity declined through the late 1970s, with the movement generally considered over by the early 1980s.
Period
from 1952 1
The Unite d'Habitation was completed in 1952; the term New Brutalism was in British critical use by the mid 1950s.
Origin Region
France and Britain 1
Brutalism
Filter Results4 entries

Barbican Estate

Brutalism

Habitat 67

Brutalism

Ponte City Apartments

Brutalism

Robin Hood Gardens

Brutalism
Connections

Associated With

Le Corbusier, Architects and Designers

The style's name comes from his beton brut, the raw concrete of the Unite d'Habitation.

Source Encyclopedia Britannica

Influenced By

Modernist Architecture, Styles and Movements

A late development within the modern movement, from Le Corbusier's raw concrete manner.

Source Encyclopedia Britannica

Notable Examples

Barbican Estate, Buildings and Structures
Source Barbican Estate (Wikipedia)
Habitat 67, Buildings and Structures
Source Wikipedia: Habitat 67
Hunter Museum of American Art, Buildings and Structures
Source Hunter Museum of American Art (Wikipedia)
Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Buildings and Structures
Source National Assembly Building, Dhaka (Wikipedia)
National Assembly Building, Dhaka, Buildings and Structures
Source National Assembly Building, Dhaka (Wikipedia)
Ponte City Apartments, Buildings and Structures
Source Ponte City Apartments (Wikipedia)
Robin Hood Gardens, Buildings and Structures
Source Robin Hood Gardens, Wikipedia
Royal National Theatre, Buildings and Structures
Source Royal National Theatre (Wikipedia)
Salk Institute, Buildings and Structures
Source Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Wikipedia
Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Buildings and Structures
Source Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Wikipedia
Torre Velasca, Buildings and Structures
Source Torre Velasca (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
  • Also in Geography Atlas: France, originated there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: United Kingdom, originated there.
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
  • britannica.com/art/Brutalism-architecture, lead definition
    Brutalism, term used to describe the architectural style that emerged in the mid-20th century, characterized by raw concrete, bold geometric forms, and a utilitarian aesthetic.
  • Influenced By: Modernist Architecture
  • Associated With: Le Corbusier
View the Source
2. Wikipedia
Wikimedia Foundationen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture, infobox and Reception section
Quote, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture, infobox and Reception section
Years active: 1950s - early 1980s
View the Source
Ponte City Apartments (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationNotable Examples: Ponte City Apartments, infobox architectural_style field: Brutalist, modernistView the Source
Barbican Estate (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationNotable Examples: Barbican Estate, infobox architectural_style field: BrutalistView the Source
National Assembly Building, Dhaka (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Notable Examples: National Assembly Building, Dhaka, Infobox style field: Modern, Monumental
  • Notable Examples: Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Infobox style field: Modern, Monumental
View the Source
Torre Velasca (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationNotable Examples: Torre Velasca, Introduction
Quote, Notable Examples: Torre Velasca, Introduction
The building is considered one of the few Italian examples of post-rationalist brutalist architecture.
View the Source
Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Wikipedia
  • Notable Examples: Salk Institute, Wikipedia categories
    Category:Brutalist architecture in California
  • Notable Examples: Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Wikipedia categories
    Category:Brutalist architecture in California
View the Source
Hunter Museum of American Art (Wikipedia)
Notable Examples: Hunter Museum of American Art, Wikipedia categories
Quote, Notable Examples: Hunter Museum of American Art, Wikipedia categories
Category:Brutalist architecture in Tennessee
View the Source
Robin Hood Gardens, Wikipedia
Notable Examples: Robin Hood Gardens, Wikipedia categories
Quote, Notable Examples: Robin Hood Gardens, Wikipedia categories
Category:Brutalist architecture in London
View the Source
Royal National Theatre (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationNotable Examples: Royal National Theatre, Wikipedia categories
Quote, Notable Examples: Royal National Theatre, Wikipedia categories
Category:Brutalist architecture in London
View the Source
Wikipedia: Habitat 67
Wikimedia FoundationNotable Examples: Habitat 67, Wikipedia categories
Quote, Notable Examples: Habitat 67, Wikipedia categories
Category:Brutalist architecture in Canada
View the Source
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