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Old Posted Jan 19, 2009, 3:25 PM
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Brutalist Buildings in Your Region

Edited and links updated 12/29/2010:

Brutalism: Sculptural, geometric, massive urban playgrounds made of concrete, places where skateboarding would be a blast (and probably banned), or smaller-scale exercises in form and space. Since brutalism's heyday in the 1960's and 1970's, Pittsburgh has seen a rich variety of brutalist structures go up, and I'm interested in how many buildings of this type exist in other cities, especially new projects. Please post images of your favorites (or least favorites).

I'll get the ball rolling with my school:

Carnegie Mellon University: Wean Hall



photo credit http://www.samizdata.net/blog/archiv...to_differ.html

University of Pittsburgh: Barco Law Building



Photo Credit http://www.essential-architecture.co...E/STY-M11A.htm

University of Pittsburgh: Posvar Hall



photo credit http://www.tour.pitt.edu/tour-040-photo.html

University of Pittsburgh: Hillman Library



photo credit http://www.tour.pitt.edu/tour-firstmap.html

University of Pittsburgh: David L. Lawrence Hall



Photo Credithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileavidLawrenceHall.jpg

Last edited by deja vu; Dec 29, 2010 at 5:34 PM.
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  #2  
Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 1:34 AM
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Unfortunately, the University of Pittsburgh essentially doubled in size almost overnight after it went from private to "state-related" in 1966... which just so happened to be the beginning of the short-lived brutalist movement... ushering in a wave of cold, inhuman brutalist structures within Pitt's previously elegant campus... the whole Forbes Quadrangle is a lifeless harsh dismal zone of blank concrete
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 1:38 AM
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And who can forget the notorious Boston City Hall? The epitomy of good intentions gone wrong.



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...onCityhall.jpg

Last edited by deja vu; Jan 22, 2009 at 4:47 AM.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 3:08 AM
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Just about the most depressing form of architecture ever conceived.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 3:46 AM
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Not sure if this qualifies as a legitimate example of the style, but I have always liked 55 West Wacker here in Chicago:


Mark 2400-flickr


Mark 2400-flickr


24gotham-flickr

Some of my own photos:



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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 4:17 AM
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^ 55 W Wacker would be so much nicer with transparent glazing.

It seems like most forms of progressive architecture undergo a period of popular contempt and derision that gradually gives way to enjoyment, even adoration. Sometimes it's a matter of familiarity, but more often I think it's a new context created by newer styles. I think anti-Brutalist sentiment, of which there is no shortage even among enthusiasts of Modernism, is a perfect example. In fifty years, when new technologies become more widely adopted and give birth to forms we have only previewed or yet unseen, popular opinion will swing towards Brutalism.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 5:06 AM
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I'm never exactly sure how to differentiate Brutalism from simple Modernism, most of the time, but I think the Michigan Capitol Complex in Lansing is an example of Brutalism:

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Last edited by LMich; Jan 20, 2009 at 8:19 AM.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 7:55 AM
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How about pretty much all of SUNY Albany?



The campus looks pretty good during the summer and sunny days. But it's unbelievably drab and depressing on a snowy or cloudy day. My brother happened to be visiting it on one of these drab days after some snowfall - the school was offering him a boatload of shit besides a full scholarship, but I knew he wasn't going there after seeing how dreary the campus looked.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 8:18 AM
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The Landstadt Building in Malmö is the kind that has its "guts on the outside"..

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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 2:15 PM
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^ I like it, it's so different, It wouldn't be nice if the whole city were filled with it, but I think it fits when buildt in small numbers.
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  #11  
Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 5:32 PM
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Ex London Bank, Buenos Aires, Argentina, built by the architect Clorindo Testa









I like it.. I think it has beautiful details
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 5:39 PM
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Double.

Last edited by Jibba; Jan 21, 2009 at 4:08 AM.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 5:49 PM
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^Wow, that is quite fantastic.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ch.G, Ch.G View Post
^ 55 W Wacker would be so much nicer with transparent glazing.

It seems like most forms of progressive architecture undergo a period of popular contempt and derision that gradually gives way to enjoyment, even adoration. Sometimes it's a matter of familiarity, but more often I think it's a new context created by newer styles. I think anti-Brutalist sentiment, of which there is no shortage even among enthusiasts of Modernism, is a perfect example. In fifty years, when new technologies become more widely adopted and give birth to forms we have only previewed or yet unseen, popular opinion will swing towards Brutalism.
I agree about 55WW in some respects. Part of what appeals to me about Brutalist-style structures is the apparent (often actual) structural exaggeration--they're just so heavy-duty looking and expressive. If you contrast this aspect with more transparent glass that allows for a glimpse into the "fragile" (by comparison with the structure, anyway) human occupancy within, the results can be really amazing. 55WW, as a result of its opaque glazing, is still in-your-face but with no depth--kind of a conflicting mix.

I also agree that Brutalism will improve with age, and mostly for the reasons you stated.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 5:54 PM
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McMaster Health Sciences Centre, Hamilton, Ontario.




from http://www.aia.org/nwsltr_print.cfm?...0051019_change
Quote:
The McMaster Health Sciences Centre (MHSC) in Hamilton, Ontario, designed in 1972 by Craig, Zeidler, & Strong Architects, commemorates an important moment in hospital design. To keep a step ahead of the rapid changes taking place in medicine, Zeidler created an infinitely flexible space, deliberately designed never to be finished. This utopian vision, a concept of ever-changing architectural form, is demonstrated clearly in MHSC’s design, function, and image as a prototype of the “plug-in machine” modern hospital. While critics rejected the high-tech mechanical image of the hospital, others understood Zeidler’s intentions and appreciated his achievement. Even today, 30 years after the building was completed, its presence is powerful...MHSC, which was designed never to be finished, did not change in accordance with the original vision. The building did not follow its intended master plan, the expansion possibilities were not fulfilled, and the interior redevelopment was limited in scope. In this way, the vision that had intended to create an infinitely flexible and dynamic structure resulted in a static monument. Still, the importance of this project cannot be underestimated. MHSC is now an icon in the history of the modern high-tech hospital. Its bold design, which continues to raise many tough questions, denies any compromise in the expression of its utopian concept. It has stimulated the transition toward the postmodern hospital.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 6:08 PM
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I dont think there are any examples of it where I live and im glad for that.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 6:31 PM
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London Ugly, ...worst to best

Guy's Hospital, tallest hospital in the world



Trellick Tower, so ugly it's become an icon, and a listed building for Notting Hill's yuppies:







Luxury brutalism, million dollar apartments at the Barbican Centre (also listed)









Brutalist rowhomes, Rowley Way








Last edited by muppet; Jan 20, 2009 at 6:50 PM.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 6:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ch.G, Ch.G View Post
^ 55 W Wacker would be so much nicer with transparent glazing.

It seems like most forms of progressive architecture undergo a period of popular contempt and derision that gradually gives way to enjoyment, even adoration. Sometimes it's a matter of familiarity, but more often I think it's a new context created by newer styles. I think anti-Brutalist sentiment, of which there is no shortage even among enthusiasts of Modernism, is a perfect example. In fifty years, when new technologies become more widely adopted and give birth to forms we have only previewed or yet unseen, popular opinion will swing towards Brutalism.
You are so right. When I was young in the '60's and '70's Victorian and other late 19th and early 20th century styles were what everyone spit on. Young people today can't get enough of it. The question with Brutalisim is will it survive long enough to come back into fashion? Everywhere you look people are trying to "remodel" it or otherwise stamp it out.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 7:16 PM
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Ex London Bank, Buenos Aires, Argentina has amazing detail and I can't even grasp the shear scale of the Barbican Centre. It's also interesting to note how the McMaster Health Sciences Centre merges two strikingly different materials, glass and concrete.

Last edited by deja vu; Dec 29, 2010 at 5:35 PM.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2009, 7:47 PM
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Old Posted Jan 21, 2009, 12:46 AM
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Amazing thread. I didn't realize London has so many Brutalistic buildings.

Seeing Forbes Quadrangle reminded me of its sheer enormity. I think I read once that its the largest educational use building based on square footage.
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