Brutalist architecture

Indiana University Art Museum

Brutalism was the term applied to a particular strand of the Modernist architectural movement during the 1960s and 1970s, and was associated with certain followers of Swiss architect, Le Corbusier and of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The term originates from the French béton brut, or "raw concrete" - the style being characterised by exposed rough concrete and large blockish designs.

Architects associated with this style include Erno Goldfinger, husband-and-wife pairing Peter and Alison Smithson, and, to a lesser extent perhaps, Sir Denys Lasdun. Buildings in this style include Goldfinger's Balfron and Trellick Towers in London.

Brutalist designs are often criticised as eyesores. Because the style is essentially that of poured concrete it tends to be inexpensive to build and maintain (but very difficult to modify). However, in the case of Trellick Tower, the design has ultimately proved very popular with both tenants and owner-occupier residents.

Trellick Tower in west London

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