Ode to Brutalism

Charlie_mta said:
I can see a connection between the incredible brutalism of WW II and architectural Brutalism.
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I always thought that people might have wanted to forget everything before the war and replaced the old buildings with new ones-sort of like living in denial.
 
That could be. But I was thinking the stout bunker-like quality of brutalist buildings was to give a rugged bomb-proof look, something that could not easily be blown apart.
 
Yeah...Like a show of resilience and maybe some practicality too (they might have been worried about their public buildings being attacked by missiles).
 
Charlie_mta said:
Has anything ever been written (books, etc.) on the effect of world/cultural events on architectural trends? I can see a connection between the incredible brutalism of WW II and architectural Brutalism.
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The BBC's Bunkers, Brutalism, and Bloodymindedness documentary makes this connection explicit - some of the junior draftsmen, architects, and engineers building things like this during the war returned to their education and careers afterwards and continued to work with the concrete that enables brutalism.
 
I never knew a famous architect (Marcel Breuer) designed Madison Park High School, and the whole stretch of that wide road is so well designed to make one not ever look left or right I'm not surprised I never noticed:
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And, funny enough, my cousin Nick Wheeler (who was an architectural photographer) took these photos way back in the day.
 
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Love these photos...

Something tells me that all the clothes these kids are wearing are currently available for purchase at Primark and H&M.
 
Modern architecture often fails when surrounded by modernist urban planning mistakes.
 
Yes, and it's sad how the two became linked in the minds of the public. I think the larger ethos of progressiveness and faith in the future consequently took a major hit, the reverberations of which we are still feeling right now.
 
FK4 said:
I think the larger ethos of progressiveness and faith in the future consequently took a major hit, the reverberations of which we are still feeling right now.
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And the mistrust of academics, scientists, and subject matter experts, the fear of modern music on a concert programs, and so on...

Cynicism: It's what's for dinner!
 
Beton Brut said:
And the mistrust of academics, scientists, and subject matter experts, the fear of modern music on a concert programs, and so on...

Cynicism: It's what's for dinner!
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Exactly what I meant...

Sad!
 
Allow me to add this wonder from Wikipedia:

Geisel Library is the main library building of the University of California, San Diego Library. It is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. The building's distinctive Brutalist architecture has resulted in its being featured in the UC San Diego logo and becoming the most recognizable building on campus.

The library was designed by William Pereira and opened in 1970 as the Central Library. It was renovated in 1993 and rededicated as the University Library Building, and renamed Geisel Library in 1995.

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Such an interesting looking structure to me.

From libraries.ucsd.edu, a couple of quotes:

"... one of San Diego’s greatest landmarks and the visual icon for UC San Diego."
"Named one of the world’s 25 most modern libraries ..."
 
^ William Pereira will have his day in the sun. I'm looking forward to Alan Hess's forthcoming book on his life and work.

And lest we forget:
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** Concrete aside, both Geisel and the Pyramid are probably best categorized as Structural Expressionism rather than Brutalism -- both buildings "take off" while City Hall stays firmly rooted to the earth.
 
Without knowing all of the signature buildings being designed during his time, Pereira seemed to go in another direction from the rest of the pack. The Pyramid garnered a lot of national attention.
 
EdMc said:
Allow me to add this wonder from Wikipedia:

Geisel Library is the main library building of the University of California, San Diego Library. It is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. The building's distinctive Brutalist architecture has resulted in its being featured in the UC San Diego logo and becoming the most recognizable building on campus..."
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i don't know why, but i naturally avoided Geisel. The novelty of the building itself wears quickly. Inside it is rather sanitized and lousy. It was kind of a haul, and i had a preference for the Humanities Undergraduate Library (a.k.a Galbraith Hall) on the extreme south end of campus. HUL was built at the beginning with Revelle–an abjectly hideous expanse of concrete.... but more convenient for getting down to Blacks for some waves, then throwing the board in my dorm and cruising over to HUL, which was about 2 minutes by skateboard from the middle of Muir.

HUL was more social and also a better place to hang with my friends from Muir and Revelle, and frankly a fun flirty/pickup spot, just off the Center Plaza of Revelle, and the main social gathering place on campus. ...Geisel was located in a less desirable part of campus past Third and Warren, barren, somewhat geeky and sort of depressing.

By contrast, the area between Revelle and Muir was (then) simply breathtaking. if you took a slight detour you could swing past the Sun God and saunter into the 'talking forest;' a thick strand of eucalyptus trees... then on the way back to Muir you passed a large open area filled with another strand of huge eucalyptus trees...

Since the mid-90's, there's been far too many trees cut down all over what was once, a really beautiful campus–you guesed it; to build more buildings. Makes me furious to think about it.

Dr Suess could be spotted on campus occasionally. He lived in a weird house over by Mount Soledad, before he passed in the early 90s.

here's the talking forest, looking less full and nice than a 1/4 century ago.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO_jIz-TNdM
 
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Also not brutalism, but BWH's main building by Bertrand Goldberg:
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I found this second pic online - I'm not sure if this is another project (a lot of his buildings look like these towers) or if BWH initially planned on a larger expansion.


And right down the street is Hugh Stubbins' Countway Library - one of the least appreciated brutalist buildings in Boston (hardly any decent photographs of it online)... and one of my favorites. I especially like that up close, you can see that tons of fossils in the stone making up the "concrete" of the building (it doesn't look like limestone, but I guess it can't be concrete if it has fossils in it... if not concrete, I guess it also can't be brutalist, technically...?).

An especially nice vantage is standing at before the steps of the central HMS building, looking south, with the green to your left - you can see the columns of the marble HMS building to your immediate right, then the Countway and the School of Public Health building dead ahead, and the twin spires of the Mission Church in the slit between those two modern buildings. A great shot to be had with a good camera, which I dont have...

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The San Francisco Pyramid is probably one of my favorite examples of brutalism.

The Christian Science Center is the best example in Boston (i'm sorry but City Hall is awful).

The Fed Reserve Bank Building is a pretty good example of Brutalism.

The Harbor Towers are awful. I actually don't mind the Longfellow Towers. I think that's is because they aren't as prominent on the skyline.
 
Hubman, I only recall, and was interested in, mainstream publications covering the curious oddity of the building, the aesthetic. It was striking at the time and really stood out from the rest of the crowd. Professional trade magazines undoubtably covered the structural aspects of it; I think the Transamerica building (Pyramid) and the Bank of America building were the two tallest buildings in San Francisco at the time.
 
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