The Barbican Centre (1980-02-14/1980-02-14) by Peter BloomfieldBarbican Centre
Brutalist architecture sprung up in 1950s Britain as a low-cost style of social building. Many people think these buildings are ugly, and others view them as a beautiful marriage of form and function. What do you think?
Some of the 20th Century's most celebrated architects, including Ernő Goldfinger and Le Corbusier, advanced the Brutalist style. Scroll on to explore some key examples of this controversial style...
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Cité radieuse, Marseille
Le Corbusier collaborated with the painter-architect Nadir Afonso on this modernist Unité d’Habitation housing block in Marseilles, France. The bréton brut (rough-cast concrete) of the building partly inspired the name Brutalism.
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The Barbican Estate, London
The bombing raids of the Second World War largely destroyed the City of London, but also presented an opportunity to post-war architects. The Barbican was a radical reimagining of what urban areas could look like, however it failed to catch on.
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Habitat 67, Montreal
Moshe Safdie originally designed this housing unit for his master's thesis. It was constructed for Expo 67, the 1967 World's Fair, when he was just 29. Its unusual design captured imaginations and fired indignation.
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Boston City Hall, Boston
This seat of city government is perhaps the most controversial in the United States. Before the building was completed there were demands for it to be demolished. However, architects and critics have repeatedly praised the structure, describing it as one of the finest in the US.
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Alexandra Road Estate, London
The ziggurat-form of this terraced housing in Camden, London, presents an alternative to high rise tower blocks. Architect Neave Brown thought that the low-rise houses, with their own front doors and gardens, would feel safer and more private.
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Preston Bus Station, Preston
Many brutalist buildings face uncertain futures. Preston Bus Station was threatened with demolition for decades. After many unsuccessful campaigns to have the bus station given legal protection, a protection order was finally granted in 2013.
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Trellick Tower, London
Architect Ernő Goldfinger designed Trellick Tower using the feedback from his earlier Balfron Tower. However it was completed just as brutalist high rises were falling out of fashion, it's fair to say that it's more popular now than at any previous point.
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Rozzol Melara, Trieste
Sited on a hillside on the eastern edge of the city, the apartments of Rozzol Melara look out over the Adriatic Sea. While a lot of consideration went into the architecture, the estate has been plagued by mismanagement.
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Buffalo City Court Building, Buffalo
The striking, blank concrete panels and razor thin windows of this US court building were designed to reduce the possibility of distraction for the judges and clerks working within, bringing a new meaning to 'justice is blind'.
