HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Histories & Theories of Architecture
Brutalism &
Hi-tech architecture
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
A background of
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture emerged in the mid-20th
century after the second world war, characterized by
its raw, unfinished concrete structures and emphasis
on honest expression of materials and function. This
bold, unapologetic style aimed to create powerful,
monumental buildings that evoked a sense of
strength and permanence.
Peter Smithson believed that the core of
brutalism was a reverence for materials,
expressed honestly, stating "Brutalism is not
concerned with the material as such but rather
the quality of material“.
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
Characteristics of Brutalist
architecture
Exposed Concrete
Brutalist architecture often
featured exposed,
unfinished concrete with a
rough, textural quality that
was integral to the design.
Expressive Formwork
The marks and patterns left
by the formwork used to
cast the concrete became
an expressive design
element in Brutalist
buildings.
Sculptural Massing
The bold, geometric forms
of Brutalist architecture
were sculpted to create
visually striking,
monumental compositions.
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
Brutalism and Social
Consciousness
Reyner Banham associated the term new
brutalism with art brut and béton brut, meaning raw
concrete in French. He felt the phrase "the new
brutalism" existed as both an attitude toward design as
well as a descriptive label for the architecture itself and
that it "eludes precise description, while remaining a
living force". He attempted to codify the movement in
systematic language, insisting that a brutalist structure
must satisfy the following terms:
Civic Engagement
Brutalist structures were
often designed as public
spaces, encouraging
community interaction
and social engagement.
Egalitarian Ideals
Brutalist architects sought to
create buildings that were
accessible and served the
needs of all members of
society, not just the elite.
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
Le Corbusier’s proto-brutalist buildings
Unité d'habitation in Marseille,
France
Secretariat Building (Palace of
Assembly) in Chandigarh, India;
Saint-pierre by Le Corbusier
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Saint-pierre by Le Corbusier
Brutalism
In France
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Rooftop of
Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse
Housing block in Marseille
Brutalism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
In South Africa
Grand Central Tower, South Africa, 1996 by
GAPP Architects
Brutalism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
In India
Chandigarh Capitol Complex in India by Le Corbusier
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Brutalism
In India
Chandigarh Capitol Complex in
India by Le Corbusier
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Brutalism
In India
Chandigarh Capitol Complex in India by Le Corbusier
Brutalism
In America
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Salk Institute by Louis Khan
Brutalism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
In South Africa
RAU (Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit) by Willie Meyer
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Wynand Mouton Theater at UFS
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Brutalism
In Japan
Tadao Ando
Church of Light
Brutalism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
In Japan
Tadao Andō:
Himeji City
Museum of
Literature
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Situated between the capitalist West and the
socialist East, Yugoslavia’s architects
responded to contradictory demands and
influences, developing a postwar
architecture both in line with and distinct from
the design approaches seen elsewhere in
Europe and beyond.
The architecture that emerged—from
International Style skyscrapers to Brutalist
“social condensers”—is a manifestation of the
radical diversity, hybridity, and idealism that
characterized the Yugoslav state itself.
The Flower Monument
Monument to the Fallen Soldiers of the Kosmaj Partisan
Detachment
Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in
Yugoslavia, 1948–1980 introduces the
exceptional work of socialist Yugoslavia’s
leading architects to an international
audience for the first time, highlighting a
significant yet thus-far understudied body of
modernist architecture.
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Brutalism
In Bulgaria
Buzludzha Monument -
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Brutalism
In Bulgaria
Buzludzha Monument -
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Brutalism
In Bulgaria
Brutalism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
In South Africa
Paarl Language
monument
Apartheid
Museum
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
Critiques and
Controversies of
Brutalist Architecture
Dehumanizing
Brutalist buildings were
often criticized for their
imposing, cold, and
impersonal aesthetic, which
some felt could be
alienating.
Maintenance Challenges
The exposed concrete and raw
materials of Brutalist structures
required extensive maintenance,
which could be costly and
difficult.
Outdated Aesthetics
As architectural styles
evolved, Brutalism was
sometimes seen as
outdated and out of touch
with contemporary design
trends.
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
High-tech
Modernism
&
Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
High-tech Architecture |
Structural Expressionism
High-tech architecture, also known as
structural expressionism, is a type of
late modernist architecture that
emerged in the 1970s, incorporating
elements of high-tech industry and
technology into building design.
A Background on
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
High-tech architecture | structural expressionism
High-tech architecture, also known as Late
Modernism or Structural Expressionism, is an
architectural style that emerged in the 1970s,
incorporating elements of high-tech industry
and technology into building design.
High-tech architecture appeared as a
revamped modernism, an extension of those
previous ideas helped by even more
technological advances.
This category serves as a bridge between
modernism and post-modernism; however,
there remain gray areas as to where one
category ends and the other begins.
In the 1980s, high-tech architecture became
more difficult to distinguish from post-modern
architecture. Some of its themes and ideas
were later absorbed into the style of NeoFuturism art and architectural movement.
The Camden Road Sainsbury, London
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
High-tech architecture |
structural expressionism
High-tech architecture grew from the
modernist style and it emphasizes:
-
Transparency in design and construction,
-
Communicate the underlying structure
and function of a building throughout its
interior and exterior.
-
Like Brutalism, Structural Expressionist
buildings reveal their structure on the
outside as well as the inside, but with
visual emphasis placed on the internal
steel and/or concrete skeletal structure
as opposed to exterior concrete walls.
High-tech architecture makes extensive use of
aluminium, steel, glass, and to a lesser extent
concrete (the technology for which had
developed earlier), as these materials were
becoming more advanced and available in a
wider variety of forms at the time the style was
developing[1] – generally, advancements in a
trend towards lightness of weight.
High-tech architecture | structural expressionism
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
Architectural characteristics
High-tech architecture and architecture that has
structural expressionism normally has the following
characteristics
1. Focuses on creating adaptable buildings
through choice of materials, internal structural
elements, and programmatic design.
2. Avoid links to the past
3. Has reconfigurable spaces.
4. Evokes the sense of a drawing or diagram.
5. Utilizes a focus on factory aesthetics
6. Normally has a large central space serviced by
many smaller maintenance areas to evoke a
feeling of openness, honesty, and transparency.
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
High-tech architecture | structural expressionism
Served spaces
Early high-tech buildings were referred to
by historian Reyner Banham as "serviced
sheds" due to their exposure of
mechanical services I
Louis Kahn's concept of "served" and
"servant" spaces, particularly when
implemented in the form of service towers,
later became a widespread feature of
high-tech architecture
High-tech
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
In London
Lloyd Building by Richard Rogers
The Lloyd's building also has offices designed to be
changed and configured as needed by the shifting and
removal of partitions – creating a flexible and adaptable
interior environment that can be changed to meet the
needs of the building's occupants. This theme of
reconfigurable spaces is an important component of hightech buildings
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Lloyd Building by Richard Rogers
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Lloyd Building by Richard Rogers
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
Centre Pompidou by
Richard Rogers, & Renzo Piano
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
High-tech
In South Africa
Faraday Precinct by MMA,
2006 in Marshalltown,
Johannesburg
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
NEO Bankside
by Richard Rogers in London, 2012
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
NEO Bankside
by Richard Rogers in London, 2012
HTRC3706
– Brutalism
& Structural
expressionism
HTRC3706
– Community
& Cultural
Hybrids
High-tech architecture |
structural expressionism
Structural Impressionism has two major
trends:
Braced systems + Diagrid systems.
Both structural systems have the
structural support elements visible from
the outside, unlike many postmodern
architecture buildings where most
structural elements are hidden in the
interior.
Renault Distribution Centre,
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
in Swindon by Norman Forster
HTRC3706 – Brutalism & Structural expressionism
Santiago Calatrava’s structural expression is an inbetween of brutalism and hi-tech
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