There is no architectural style that inspires vitriol than Brutalism. Cold. Stark. Ugly. Menacing. Those are just some of the words that crop up in a common reaction to a Brutalist building. The word itself does the movement no favors. Some adherents, in fact, have tried to rebrand Brutalism as “Heroic architecture” in an effort to move people past the name to reach an honest appraisal of the work.
Honesty is the goal of all Brutalism, starting with the name. The term is not descriptive, but literal. Béton brut is a French phrase for “raw concrete,” which is the most common building material associated with Brutalism, although not the only one. Concrete is by far the most common building material in the world. It goes up fast and cheap, which were prime considerations in Great Britain, where the movement originated in the aftermath of World War II.
Brutalism became popular for constructing large institutional buildings. There was no interest in fancy designs or camouflaging the utilitarian purpose of the buildings. An apartment building was meant to be an apartment building and a city administration building was an administration building. Honest buildings for honest purposes. Heck, many Brutalist designs exposed the inner workings of the building for everyone to see.
Such in-your-face architecture did not travel well as countries moved past the post-war economic hard times. A totalitarian Eastern European vibe began to attach itself to Brutalism. Certainly concrete was an inflexible master and those buildings were not going to be altered in any way. So calls to tear down Brutalist buildings mounted and defenders pushed their way into the conversation. Brutalism, they argued, was the truest disciple of Modern Architecture principles. What is simpler and more functional than a concrete building that exists only for the purpose for which it was designed?
Love it or hate Brutalism in Philadelphia? Check out the United States Mint on Independence Mall with an entire block-long windowless facade. Or Police Headquarters with a curving pre- cast concrete facade that has earned it the moniker “Roundhouse.” Ugly or “a good personality.” You make the call.