‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
'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 the Editorial Executive at Wallpaper*. Before joining the team in 2023, she has contributed to BBC Wales, SurfGirl Magazine, and Parisian Vibe, with work spanning from social media content creation to editorial. Now, her role covers writing across varying content pillars for Wallpaper*.
-
Paul Rudolph at The Met: ‘from Christmas lights to megastructures’
‘Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph’ opens at the Met in New York, exploring the modernist master's work through a feast of an exhibition
By Stephanie Murg Published
-
‘London: Lost Interiors’ gathers unseen imagery of some of the capital’s most spectacular homes
This new monograph is a fascinating foray into the interior life of London, charting changing tastes, emerging styles and the shifting social history of grand houses in the heart of a fast-changing city
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Inside the making of Loewe Perfumes’ porcelain bottle toppers, delicately crafted by Lladró
Loewe Perfumes’ limited edition flask toppers are crafted by Spanish porcelain company Lladró. Mary Cleary takes a look inside the making process, as featured in the October 2024 issue of Wallpaper*
By Mary Cleary Published
-
'Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces' captured in new monograph like no book before
'The Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces' chronicles hundreds of iconic structures from this golden age of architectural expression
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Dive into these new architecture books: Summer 2024's reading
The Wallpaper* guide to the new architecture books for Summer 2024 - from meaty monographs to themed explorations and lots of immersive visuals
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
'Kiosk: The Last Modernist Booths' book chronicles a little-known area of Eastern Bloc architecture
Zupagrafika brings Kiosk design, a forgotten slice of socialist architecture history, to life with this collection of modular, modernist booths
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
California houses: the allure of their progressive, expressive architecture
Michael Webb’s new book, ‘California Houses: Creativity in Context’, assembles 36 contemporary homes that showcase the state’s reputation as a haven for progressive residential design
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
All hail the power of concrete architecture
‘Concrete Architecture’ surveys more than a century’s worth of the world’s most influential buildings using the material, from brutalist memorials to sculptural apartment blocks
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Atlas of Never Built Architecture’ delves into unrealised architectural ambition
Unrealised grand plans are chronicled in ‘Atlas of Never Built Architecture’, Sam Lubell and Greg Goldin’s monumental new Phaidon monograph, which collates 300 architectural projects lost to the mists of time
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Marcio Kogan’s Studio MK27 celebrated in this new monograph from Rizzoli
‘The Architecture of Studio MK27. Lights, camera, action’ is a richly illustrated journey through the evolution of this famed Brazilian architecture studio
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Louis Kahn's modernist mastermind celebrated through new collaborations
The legacy of modernist architect Louis Kahn lives on to inspire a new generation, thanks to collaborations with family and fans
By Marina Cashdan Published