‘Brutalist Plants’ is a new monograph capturing the best of eco-brutalism
'Brutalist Plants,' the new book by Olivia Broome, captures concrete architecture engulfed with nature

‘Brutalist Plants’ is a new book featuring an impressive selection of imagery that captures the very best of the trend of 'eco-brutalism'. This texture-rich movement has been gathering attention recently, focusing on brutalist architecture that has been - to varying degrees - embraced by flora, as planting engulfs entire structures, creating a calming concrete jungle for urban living.
Brutalist Plants by Olivia Broome
With its rough textures and sharp angles, brutalist structures can be divisive and omnipresent - such concrete monoliths contribute to many an urban landscape across the contemporary metropoles of the world. Yet, beauty and softness can be found within their undeniably sculptural, and seemingly harsh forms.
Mailman Center for Child Development, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States. Architect: Hilario Candela
Incorporating vegetation can be part of the design offering a new, fascinating layer to the whole - as concrete volumes are intertwined effortlessly with leafy flora, contrasting harsh and soft, and the plants' bright green tones with the material's textured grey.
Bucharest, Romania
Curated by Olivia Broome, ‘Brutalist Plants’ came from humble beginnings - an Instagram account which gained rapid traction from followers who also shared a love for eco-brutalism, and perhaps the visual juxtaposition between a monochromatic design and sweeping greenery.
Casa Alférez, Cañada De Alferes, Mexico. Architect: Ludwig Godefroy
Working alongside photographers, Broome curated over 150 images of brutalist structures surrounded by nature. The expansive image selection includes designs which have deliberately considered their green context, while others show greenery reclaiming its built environment.
The Barbican Conservatory, London, United Kingdom. Architect: Chamberlin, Powell and Bon
Brutalist architecture tends to be associated with a colder, more bare-boned aesthetic. This monograph provides insight into the symbiotic relationship between the style and nature, highlighting its potential within architecture. From earthy roofs to living walls, greens and cool greys provide a poetic contrast and prove that one's existence doesn't have to preclude the other.
Reinforced hillside, Aogashima, Tokyo, Japan
Browse the book to discover the pocket garden of Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation, and the lush courtyards and conservatory of London’s Barbican Centre; Broome’s selection takes the reader around the world’s beloved brutalist structures with a verdant twist.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Evangelische Friedenskirche (Peace Church), Monheim-Baumberg, Germany. Architect: Walter Maria Förderer
'Brutalist Plants' by Olivia Broome is on sale from 16 May, or available to pre-order from waterstones.com. See more of our favourite new architecture books.
Tianna Williams is Wallpaper’s staff writer. When she isn’t writing extensively across varying content pillars, ranging from design and architecture to travel and art, she also helps put together the daily newsletter. She enjoys speaking to emerging artists, designers and architects, writing about gorgeously designed houses and restaurants, and day-dreaming about her next travel destination.
-
A new Athens gallery is a celebration of old and new, a stone's throw from the Acropolis
New Athens gallery Melas Martinos by Local Local is a contemporary art space, a stone's throw from the Acropolis, in the Greek capital's Monastiraki neighbourhood
-
Haute Couture Week A/W 2025: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 7-9 July, Haute Couture Week A/W 2025 arrives in Paris. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors
-
Boundaries between art and life dissolve in Katherine Hubbard's intimate documentation of her mother's illness
In 'The Great Room', Katherine Hubbard merges caregiving for her mother with an unflinching documentary of the process
-
A guide to modernism’s most influential architects
From Bauhaus and brutalism to California and midcentury, these are the architects who shaped modernist architecture in the 20th century
-
A new book delves into Frei Otto’s obsession with creating ultra-light architecture
‘Frei Otto: Building with Nature’ traces the life and work of the German architect and engineer, a pioneer of high-tech design and organic structures
-
What is eco-brutalism? Inside the green monoliths of the movement
The juxtaposition of stark concrete and tumbling greenery is eminently Instagrammable, but how does this architectural movement address the sustainability issues associated with brutalism?
-
Modernist Travel Guide: a handy companion to explore modernism across the globe
‘Modernist Travel Guide’, a handy new pocket-sized book for travel lovers and modernist architecture fans, comes courtesy of Wallpaper* contributor Adam Štěch and his passion for modernism
-
Ukrainian Modernism: a timely but bittersweet survey of the country’s best modern buildings
New book ‘Ukrainian Modernism’ captures the country's vanishing modernist architecture, besieged by bombs, big business and the desire for a break with the past
-
New book 'I-IN' brings together Japanese heritage and minimalist architecture at its finest
Japanese architecture studio I-IN flaunts its expert command of 21st-century minimalism in a new book by Frame Publishers
-
Brutalism’s unsung mecca? The Philippines
Philippine brutalism is an architecture subgenre to be explored and admired; the brains and lens behind visual database Brutalist Pilipinas, Patrick Kasingsing, takes us on a tour
-
The Lighthouse draws on Bauhaus principles to create a new-era workspace campus
The Lighthouse, a Los Angeles office space by Warkentin Associates, brings together Bauhaus, brutalism and contemporary workspace design trends