What's Your Opinion of Brutalist Architecture?

[Aesmenia and the Isles]

I want to know what people think of the style, why they like it, why they hate it, and where they think it works best. Personally, I absolutely adore the style it has a simple beauty to me that very few other styles can match, I do see people say it looks good in contrast with nature and greenery, but I disagree I think that makes the building seem dilapidated and like a ruin, I think brutalism works best when it's just plain concrete in a city, but I know I'm in the minority here.

If your response is gonna be something along the lines of "I don't care" then just skip this forum instead of adding nothing to it

[San Lumen]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_City_Hall
Here is a prime example of why I hate this style of Architecture.

Boston city hall is one of the ugliest buildings i've ever seen and definitely the ugliest government building.

[Floofybit]

It looks disgusting

[Aesmenia and the Isles]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_City_Hall
Here is a prime example of why I hate this style of Architecture.

Boston city hall is one of the ugliest buildings i've ever seen and definitely the ugliest government building.

What exactly do you not like about it? I like the design

[San Lumen]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_City_Hall
Here is a prime example of why I hate this style of Architecture.

Boston city hall is one of the ugliest buildings i've ever seen and definitely the ugliest government building.

What exactly do you not like about it? I like the design

It doesn't look welcoming. The windows design looks awful and too many weird shapes in the building.

[Champlania]

Eh, Not my personal cup of Tea. Its the Purgatory of Architecture in my opinion, also, it kind of reminds me of the holocaust in some way? Like, its how I would imagine the overall feel of it being. I myself, am Personally more of a Post-modern type of guy. It reminds me of my childhood, in a Goodway.

[Free Algerstonia]

i'd say it's... BRUTAL to look at

[Esterazdravo]

As someone who lives in London,I see brutalist buildings ever day yet I still hate it.

[Aesmenia and the Isles]

Eh, Not my personal cup of Tea. Its the Purgatory of Architecture in my opinion, also, it kind of reminds me of the holocaust in some way? Like, its how I would imagine the overall feel of it being. I myself, am Personally more of a Post-modern type of guy. It reminds me of my childhood, in a Goodway.

I think I know what you mean, the bleak and oppressive feeling it can give to people, I can see how it would remind you of it even if I don't get the same feeling from it

[The Second Order of Life]

It doesn't look welcoming. The windows design looks awful and too many weird shapes in the building.

That's the intent, and that's why I like it. It's cold, uncompromising, utilitarian, brutal. It does not pretend to be good, it does not pretend to be pretty; it knows exactly what it is and is proud of displaying it.

[San Lumen]

It doesn't look welcoming. The windows design looks awful and too many weird shapes in the building.

That's the intent, and that's why I like it. It's cold, uncompromising, utilitarian, brutal. It does not pretend to be good, it does not pretend to be pretty; it knows exactly what it is and is proud of displaying it.

which is why I hate it especially for a government building.

I prefer this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_City_Hall

or this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Hall

This one is nice too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_City_Hall

[The Second Order of Life]

That's the intent, and that's why I like it. It's cold, uncompromising, utilitarian, brutal. It does not pretend to be good, it does not pretend to be pretty; it knows exactly what it is and is proud of displaying it.

which is why I hate it especially for a government building.

I prefer this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_City_Hall

or this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Hall

Brutalism feels a lot more sobering. It's a stark reminder of practicality and government presence. The government isn't grand, it is merely necessary, and Brutalism conveys that message objectively. The bleakness is a feature.

[San Lumen]

which is why I hate it especially for a government building.

I prefer this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_City_Hall

or this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Hall

Brutalism feels a lot more sobering. It's a stark reminder of practicality and government presence. The government isn't grand, it is merely necessary, and Brutalism conveys that message objectively. The bleakness is a feature.

Nah. A government building should be welcoming and pretty to look at such as this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_City_Hall

or this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_City_Hall

[Champlania]

It doesn't look welcoming. The windows design looks awful and too many weird shapes in the building.

That's the intent, and that's why I like it. It's cold, uncompromising, utilitarian, brutal. It does not pretend to be good, it does not pretend to be pretty; it knows exactly what it is and is proud of displaying it.

Yeah, and I get why people like it, and defiantly see it being used effectively in Fortresses, Police stations, and most defiantly schools. you know, places that want you to be afraid of it. But, would you want a Brutalist house? A place where you want your family to remeber it as a happy place? I mean, I get that a mans house is his castle but I don't think they meant for you to take that literally!

[Cataluniya]

It just looks depressing. I wouldn't like to live near a brutalist building.

That said, they do also look quite cool.

[Aesmenia and the Isles]

That's the intent, and that's why I like it. It's cold, uncompromising, utilitarian, brutal. It does not pretend to be good, it does not pretend to be pretty; it knows exactly what it is and is proud of displaying it.

Yeah, and I get why people like it, and defiantly see it being used effectively in Fortresses, Police stations, and most defiantly schools. you know, places that want you to be afraid of it. But, would you want a Brutalist house? A place where you want your family to remeber it as a happy place? I mean, I get that a mans house is his castle but I don't think they meant for you to take that literally!

Well you wouldn't really see any regular houses the style is mainly used for mass housing like the soviets had, but I would like to live in a brutalist apartment the style feels simple and not too complicated plus I feel like a brutalist apartment would provide a sense of community with so many people being housed in it

[The Second Order of Life]

That's the intent, and that's why I like it. It's cold, uncompromising, utilitarian, brutal. It does not pretend to be good, it does not pretend to be pretty; it knows exactly what it is and is proud of displaying it.

Yeah, and I get why people like it, and defiantly see it being used effectively in Fortresses, Police stations, and most defiantly schools. you know, places that want you to be afraid of it. But, would you want a Brutalist house? A place where you want your family to remeber it as a happy place? I mean, I get that a mans house is his castle but I don't think they meant for you to take that literally!

God... damn it, I hate and love you for that joke.

[United Northen States Canada]

New York and Londo City Hall is better.

[Kerwa]

Yeah, and I get why people like it, and defiantly see it being used effectively in Fortresses, Police stations, and most defiantly schools. you know, places that want you to be afraid of it. But, would you want a Brutalist house? A place where you want your family to remeber it as a happy place? I mean, I get that a mans house is his castle but I don't think they meant for you to take that literally!

Well you wouldn't really see any regular houses the style is mainly used for mass housing like the soviets had, but I would like to live in a brutalist apartment the style feels simple and not too complicated plus I feel like a brutalist apartment would provide a sense of community with so many people being housed in it

I don’t think you would like living in a brutalist apartment. Look up Killingworth Towers.

I remember an interview with Owen Luder years ago where he explained that during his period of designing brutalist buildings a large part of the design consideration was simply cost and that the brutalist style provided both structure and decorative elements simultaneously. This made it financially attractive, especially for post war Europe. He also added that nobody - or at least very few - understood how badly these buildings would weather. Essentially though, his defense of brutalism was that it was done on pragmatic grounds and the buildings were built to fulfill instant needs - car parks,shopping centers, bus stations etc. - and not as works of art. In that sense they are understandable.

I still think they are ugly and don’t like them however.

[Nilokeras]

Hating brutalism is usually a good litmus test for having bad opinions about architecture and public spaces, particularly since brutalist public architecture was one of the last movements to actually incorporate any public amenities in the spaces they built. Complaints about its ugliness are usually followed by mushy outpourings about some neoclassical pile built by a guy who hated Jews and bulldozed a minority neighbourhood to build their thing of choice.

Also 'brutalism' is not about being brutal in the sense of being purposefully ugly or offensive, it's merely a translation of the french word for 'raw' - ie the unadorned concrete used in brutalist construction.

[The Two Jerseys]

Awful. It's the architectural embodiment of depression.

[Dimetrodon Empire]

Hating brutalism is usually a good litmus test for having bad opinions about architecture and public spaces...

No, it just means the person in question finds the buildings to be ugly, which they are. It's not the only type of ugly architecture in existence, but it is ugly.

[Nilokeras]

Hating brutalism is usually a good litmus test for having bad opinions about architecture and public spaces...

No, it just means the person in question finds the buildings to be ugly, which they are. It's not the only type of ugly architecture in existence, but it is ugly.

'which they are'

is an opinion. And a bad one, I can sense in my bones.

[Neutraligon]

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gal ... ings-world

There can be some absolutely stunning brutalist buildings, it is just a style that is very easy to mess up.

[Rizar]

Honestly, I love it. Do I want it on every street corner? No. But do I love the haunting simplicity of the architecture? Absolutely. Throw on some spooky electronic music, and just flip through brutalist pictures (I always recommend Lorn).