Hard matters: Concrete Concept tours the world of brutalism
Concrete’s moment in the spotlight is still going strong. When it comes to design – and, more importantly, architecture – that most unrefined of materials can, in the right form, still stop a viewer in their tracks. The latest publication to document a host of brutalist beauties created in the composite is Concrete Concept, a surprisingly light-weight book that provides us a visual world-tour of tortured edifices.
‘Concrete was cheap, but it could be stretched into crazy shapes,’ claims writer Christopher Beanland in his introduction. Reading like an encyclopaedia of the 1960s movement, the tome begins with contributor Jonathan Meades’ own dictionary of brutalist architecture, running from 'A for Asplund' through to 'Z for Zapotec' (with notable mentions of 'L for Luder' and 'C for Cité Radieuse' along with way).
Continuing on as a world map of retro-futuist structures, the volume travels from Le Corbusier’s iconic Unité d'Habitation in Marseilles to the classically fun Marina City in Chicago, with surprising stop offs like Preston bus garage in the UK. Created in 1969, the bold layers of the listed structure abstractly curve upward to create a boisterous pattern.
Concrete Concept also explores the transforming nature of brutalism: from the Cuban Soviet Embassy, set in the harsh surroundings of Havana, to the sunnier summer vibes of India’s scooping Palace of Assembly in Chandigarh. Elsewhere, unusual animalistic forms appear in Fritz Wotruba’s eponymous Viennese church. The book further touches trends in the ways of concrete, recording that Palacio de Justica in Lisbon looks achingly similar to Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation.
‘It’s a book about a vision of the future from the past,’ Beanland explains, leading us to think about how our concrete favourites will be envisioned in years to come.
Reading like an encyclopaedia of brutalism, the tomb starts with contributor Jonathan Meades’ own dictionary of brutalist architecture, from 'A for Asplund' through to 'Z for Zapotec'. Pictured: Palace of Assembly, Chandigarh, by Le Corbusier, 1956.
The volume tours various classic structures, from Le Corbusier’s iconic Unité d'Habitation to Marina City in Chicago. Pictured: the Barbican Centre, London, by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, 1965–82.
A surprising stop off on the brutalist tour is Preston's abstractly curvaceous bus station, built in 1969 by Ove Arup and Partners and designed by Keith Ingam and Charles Wilson of Building Design Partnership with EH Stazicker.
INFORMATION
Concrete Concept: Brutalist buildings around the world, by Christopher Beanland, £20, published by Frances Lincoln. For more information, visit the publisher’s website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* before moving to her current role of Head of Content at London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, D&AD, Design Museum and Design Miami/. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, published by Hoxton Mini Press, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences.
-
Light up! Bard brightens the Scottish winter with a show of candle lights
Bard in Edinburgh brings together 20 Scottish makers to reimagine the humble candleholder in an illuminating group show
By Ali Morris Published
-
Tekαkαpimək Contact Station: a building ‘as inspiring as the endless forest and waterways of the land’
The new Tekαkαpimək Contact Station by Saunders Architecture with Reed Hilderbrand and Alisberg Parker Architects, opens at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in the USA
By Beth Broome Published
-
Bentley collaborates with fashion designer Supriya Lele to create ‘Nīla Blue’
This one-off Bentley Bentayga S showcases a new paint and interior specification created with Indian-British designer Supriya Lele
By Shawn Adams Published
-
‘Concrete Dreams’: rethinking Newcastle’s brutalist past
A new project and exhibition at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle revisits the radical urban ideas that changed Tyneside in the 1960s and 1970s
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Soviet brutalist architecture: beyond the genre's striking image
Soviet brutalist architecture offers eye-catching imagery; we delve into the genre’s daring concepts and look beyond its buildings’ photogenic richness
By Edwin Heathcote Published
-
Is Rochester Street Office a creative worker’s dream? Inside a Sydney workspace echoing calmness and light
Rochester Street Office by Allied_Office merges utilitarian design with cascading vegetation, presenting a thriving environment for creativity and collaboration
By Tianna Williams Published
-
A new exhibition marks Chandigarh’s modernist legacy
‘Celebrating the Capitol’, an exhibition of photographic work by architect Noor Dasmesh Singh, opens just in time for the famed modernist Indian city’s anniversary
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
'Tropicality' explored in Indonesian architect Andra Matin’s first monograph
'Tropicality' is a key theme in a new book on Indonesian architect Andra Matin, whose work blends landscape, architecture and living
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
‘A Time ⋅ A Place’ is a lovingly compiled photographic portrait of cars and architecture
‘A Time ⋅ A Place’ is a celebration of the European Car of the Year and changing perceptions of modern design, pairing the best buildings of the age with their automotive contemporaries
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Álvaro Siza’s new monograph through the lens of Duccio Malagamba is impactful and immersive
Álvaro Siza and photographer Duccio Malagamba collaborate on a new monograph by Phaidon; ‘Before / After: Álvaro Siza Duccio Malagamba’ celebrates the Portuguese architect's work
By Michael Webb Published
-
Remembering Alexandros Tombazis (1939-2024), and the Metabolist architecture of this 1970s eco-pioneer
Back in September 2010 (W*138), we explored the legacy and history of Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, who this month celebrates his 80th birthday.
By Ellie Stathaki Published