Brutalism 101: Understanding the Movement and Its Key Features

January 21, 2023
5 min read

John Hejduk - American architect and designer known for his contributions to the brutalist movement. He designed several notable brutalist buildings including the Wall House and the Bronx Museum of the Arts.

Moshe Safdie - Canadian architect and designer known for his contributions to the brutalist movement. He designed several notable brutalist buildings including Habitat 67 and the National Library of Israel.

Zaha Hadid - Iraqi-British architect and designer known for her contributions to the brutalist movement. She designed several notable brutalist buildings including the Aquatics Center for the London 2012 Olympics and the Guangzhou Opera House.

Peter Zumthor - Swiss architect and designer known for his contributions to the brutalist movement. He designed several notable brutalist buildings including the Therme Vals and the Kunsthaus Bregenz.

Tadao Ando - Japanese architect and designer known for his contributions to the brutalist movement. He designed several notable brutalist buildings including the Church of the Light and the Rokko Housing.

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Brutalism is a movement that has had a profound impact on the world of architecture and design. With its raw, rugged, and unapologetically industrial aesthetic, brutalism has been used to create some of the most striking and memorable structures of the 20th century. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the movement, examining the key features and principles of brutalist design, as well as its origins and historical context. We will also highlight some of the most notable examples of brutalist architecture and design, and explore the movement's ongoing influence on contemporary design.
Brutalism is a style of architecture and design that emerged in the 1950s, characterized by its use of raw, unfinished materials such as concrete, steel, and brick. The aesthetic is often associated with a no-frills, no-nonsense approach to design, with an emphasis on functionality over form. Brutalist buildings are often marked by their massive, monolithic forms, and their rough, rugged, and unapologetically industrial aesthetic.

One of the key figures in the brutalist movement was Swiss architect Le Corbusier, whose work in the 1950s and 1960s set the stage for the development of the style. Other notable architects and designers associated with brutalism include Alison and Peter Smithson, and the firm Team X.

Brutalism 101: Understanding the Movement and Its Key Features

One of the key figures in the brutalist movement was Swiss architect Le Corbusier, whose work in the 1950s and 1960s set the stage for the development of the style.

Other notable architects and designers associated with brutalism include Alison and Peter Smithson, and the firm Team X.

Le Corbusier - Swiss architect and designer, known as the father of brutalism. He was one of the first architects to use raw concrete in his designs, and his work in the 1950s and 1960s set the stage for the development of the brutalist style.

Alison and Peter Smithson - British architects and designers known for their contributions to the brutalist movement. They designed several notable brutalist buildings including the Hunstanton School and the Robin Hood Gardens housing estate.

Team X - A group of architects and designers who were associated with the International Congresses of Modern Architecture (CIAM) and advocated for a more functional and socially responsible approach to architecture.

Louis Kahn - American architect and designer known for his contributions to the brutalist movement. He designed several notable brutalist buildings including the Salk Institute and the Yale University Art Gallery.

Paul Rudolph - American architect and designer known for his brutalist designs, particularly his use of concrete and his emphasis on function over form. He designed several notable brutalist buildings including the Yale Art and Architecture Building and the Boston Government Service Center.

This blog post provides an introduction to the architectural and design movement known as brutalism. It examines the key features and principles of brutalist design, as well as its origins and historical context. The post also highlights some of the most notable examples of brutalist architecture and design, and explores the movement's ongoing influence on contemporary design.