New Brutalism Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

In this paper we want to develop a third perspective, one that neither understands concrete as the newest en vogue material, nor rejects it and the Brutalist buildings made from it solely on the grounds of an unpleasant first impression. The sensual awkwardness of Brutalist buildings and the rejection of them is the starting point for our alternative reading of Brutalist architecture. This reading understands concrete buildings as reminders that there is something fundamentally wrong with society. It takes New Brutalism as the architectural answer to the catastrophes of the 20th century. Following Hegel one has to say " philosophy must beware of wishing to be edifying, " a statement that is all the more true for (post-Shoah) architecture. In this paper we illustrate our arguments through description and analysis of the former headquarters of the German Federal Railway. We focus on two specific elements of Brutalist architecture which we call structural expressionism and irreconcilability: the transparency of materials and structures on the one hand, and a specific relation to society on the other, following and adding to Reyner Banham's distinction of aesthetical and ethical aspects in the discussion of Brutalism.

- by Nikolas Lelle
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- Critical Theory, Architecture, Theodor Adorno, Theory Of Architecture

Eine gute Primarschule zeichnet sich vor allem dadurch aus, dass sie den Schülern vielfältige Aussenräume bietet und sie mit den Mitteln der Architektur dazu auffordert, sich diese anzueignen – im digital dominierten Zeitalter mehr denn je. Überzeugend gelingt dies der Primarschule Schauenberg. Doch es gibt viele weitere Gründe, warum sie einer der besten Neubauten der Schweiz ist.

- by Jørg Himmelreich
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- Architecture, Zurich, School Building Design, Brutalism
- by Elie M Harfouche
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- Architecture, Concrete, Modern Architecture, Brutalism

The interior architecture of five selected NSW Brutalist civic-scale buildings from 1963-1978 is addressed through an analysis of interior planning, internal scale, lighting and materiality to identify and isolate the sensual elements in interior architecture the scholar Reyner Banham interprets as Brutalism’s “emotive” imagery. Working with the definitions established by Banham’s Brutalist essays and his interpretations of the Alison Smithson and Peter Smithson practice, the early definitions of Brutalism are used to differentiate between the Smithson-associated Brutalist variant of interior architecture and the interior work found in the five NSW Brutalist case studies. The interior architecture of the five selected NSW Brutalist civic buildings significantly expanded the “emotive imagery” Reyner Banham identified as characteristic of the first wave of Brutalist buildings initiated by the Smithsons’ early practice. These NSW case studies examples illustrate attempts to “bridge” through inventive interior architecture an identified gap “between the traditional ideal of beauty and the Brutalist image” raised by Anthony Vidier. These interiors demonstrate the evocation of sensual responses was a first order concern for the designers. Designing emotive “human associations” of rhythmic procession, light, texture, acoustics and interior ambience in this Brutalist interior architecture signals the architects’ desire to directly engage with the intimate “sense memories” of their audiences. March 2015.

Paolozzi’s sculptures from the late 1950s present a process that pulses between detail and whole. On the level of declared content we are confronted with lumbering figures that look like fossilized versions of science fiction and horror film monsters. Looking across his drawings, prints and writings from the 1950s one can see the insistence on contemporary man’s involvement with machine life. There is a sympathetic synergy here between the machinic and the creaturely – between the piston and the heart, the circuit-board and the nervous system – that delivers a form of equivalence. The result of this equivalence, though, is critically uneasy; the sculptural figures vacillate between emphasizing the machinic in the human and the human in the machine, producing, simultaneously, a desensitized, mechanical body and a living machine.

- by Ben Highmore
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- Art History, Eduardo Paolozzi, New Brutalism

Brutalism is an architectural style and an ethical conundrum of practicing architecture, known for its notorious past. The word ‘Brutal’ has its connotations with cruelty, inhumanity, aggression and savageness; however Brutalism refers to... more

- by JUGAL RANPARA
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- Concrete, Modernism, Materiality, Brutalism

One of my first pieces on the collaborations between the artists and architects Nigel Henderson, Eduardo Paolozzi and Alison and Peter Smithson in the context of the history of the Independent Group, the New Brutalism and Pop art. Published in the journal Oase no 59, 2002 (oasejournal.nl). It formed the basis for my work on the exhibition and book project 'Alison and Peter Smithson. From the House of the Future to a House of Today' in 2004 (together with Max Risselada).

- by Dirk van den Heuvel
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- Architectural History, Architectural Theory, Modern Architecture, Pop Art

Modernist Cultures 12.3 (2017): 331–344. This essay reconsiders Reyner Banham's classic study of early twentieth-century architecture and design, Theory and Design in the First Machine Age, originally published in 1960. Banham surveyed the architecture, design, and visual arts of the 'first machine age', characterized by industrial production and motorized transportation, from a self-consciously thematized perspective within the 'second machine age', populated by expendable consumer technologies and images. This revisionist perspective enabled Banham to challenge long-standing myths propagated by the dominant figures of the modern movement. In his polemical emphasis on the contingency and plurality of that which had empirically transpired in first machine age, Banham rejected the reduction of the messy history of the modern movement to the victory of a putative 'international style'. Banham reasserted the intimate connection of architectural modernism with the avant-garde artistic movements of the 1910s and 20s, emphasizing particularly the most radical ones such as expressionism, futurism, and dadaism.

- by Tyrus Miller
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- Architecture, Constructivism, Architectural History, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti

Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), the Issam Fares Institute (IFI) is the American University of Beirut's most controversial building. It drew both praise and criticism due to its contrast with the traditional aesthetics of the... more

- by Elie M Harfouche
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- Concrete, Deconstruction, Lebanon, Modern Architecture

Contemporary archaeology recognises the modern landscape as a material resource. This resource has the ability to challenge assumptions regarding the 20th and 21st centuries based in historiography and memory. In this way it engages with a chronology of historical and prehistoric archaeologies, revealing a continuum which extends into the present day. The 20th century is characterised by its superfluity in the contemporary landscape. The utility of contemporary archaeology lies in its ability to articulate detail from this morass of data. The recent past has the potential to illustrate the complex relationship materiality shares with social constructs of verbal meaning and social action. The architecture of The New Brutalism came to dominate architecture in Britain and Australia for a brief period of time in the late-20th century. As such it is well represented today. Its formal register is one of the most recognisable in its use of raw untreated concrete and lack of ornament, and for this reason it is also one of the most controversial. This thesis aims to address Brutalism as a diagnostic formal type in the modern built landscape. Through the application of material non-correspondence theory, Brutalism is shown to have archaeological validity. The principles of dissonance and inertia and highlighted in the Brutalist case study, and illustrate the direct utility of archaeology in shallow temporal contexts.

- by Ryan Johnston
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- Art History, Architectural History, New Brutalism, Follies
- by Wudy Miani
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- Architecture, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Futurism, Videogames

I will discuss this question: "Does the architecture provide narrative or simulation, and is it instrumental to the game or could the aesthetic have been some other architectural form?"
I will give a brief introduction of popular architecture movement and explain my choice for Brutalism as the main case study. Then explaining the importance of architecture in video games and how an architectural movement can fit a game better than another. Affectionately, being fascinated by puzzle games, I find really appealing, interesting and intriguing to progress through an abstract world which gives the player the space for their own imagination to build around this world. I will observe and argue that the rough minimalist art style, along with everything that is abstract in most games, has Brutalism as a main architecture movement. Thereby letting the player build a part of their own narrative and let them experience various feelings through discovery. Indeed, With Brutalism being monumental and imposing, it often gives the players sensations rarely experienced in other games.

- by Brian Rochat
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- Architecture, Narrative, Video Games, Brutalism

While the topics of Brutalism, world building and dystopias have been researched independently, they have yet to be analysed merged in the form of a video game. In 2019 Remedy Entertainment published their newest game, Control. The dystopian narrative and strong emphasis on architectural world building arguably crowns this game the culmination of the aforementioned themes. Befittingly, Control serves as the main subject matter of this research, where the main question 'How does Control use Brutalism to build a dystopian virtual world?' Is answered through an inductive methodological approach of qualitative directed content analysis strongly guided by existing theory, to examine a multilateral data sample comprised of game reviews, gameplay footage and media interviews with Control's developers. Three general themes were identified as all-encompassing overarching themes relevant to the research question; world building & architecture, science fiction & dystopias and mechanics & technology. By way of thorough analysis of the findings it was uncovered that to build a dystopian virtual world, Control makes use of a combination of firstly, Brutalist architecture for its aesthetic and narrative qualities to enhance storytelling and immersivity. Secondly, dystopian science fiction elements visualised through a mixture of observable and narrative paranormal events, implicit references to dystopian pop culture and dehumanising architecture. And thirdly, in ways augmenting aforementioned aspects, an incorporation of game mechanics such as a forced third person view, complicated interactive map design and realism-enhancing ray tracing technology. Concludingly, in terms of theoretical implications, this study's findings simultaneously subscribe to and contest existing theories on the topics. They demonstrate studied concepts being employed in unison in the Brutalist construction of the Dystopian world of Control, however also highlight a lack of focus on the role gameplay mechanics play within the context of architectural world building. Finally, limitations relating to the qualitative approach of this research are discussed and possible future research suggestions are provided. Topics of interest include the resurgence of Brutalism's popularity in relation to modern media such as photo sharing platform Instagram, players' awareness and interpretation of architecture in games, and lastly, an exploration of possible demand for a novel form of video game where the virtual space itself serves as the main experience.

Is the Salk Institute an exemplar of the ethical New Brutalism? Pulling on archival information regarding CIAM, the Smithsons and general social housing debate, did Louis I. Kahn create the perfect grid of City, District, Street and House... more

- by James E Churchill
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- Architecture, Architectural History, Le Corbusier, Brutalism

This essay examines the ways in which the built environment – specifically concrete architecture – affects our relationship with the world. Case studies for this research consist of two buildings and one sculpture: Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation in Marseille (1947-52) and Notre Dame du Haut (1955), and Rachel Whiteread’s House (1993). On the other hand, culturally represented acts of violence emerged from post-war Brutalist buildings and can be seen in Alison and Peter Smithson’s Robin Hood Gardens (1966-72) and Stanley Kubrick’s movie A Clockwork Orange (1971).

- by Cristina Ricci
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- Architecture, Contemporary Art, Concrete, Built Environment

This introduction to the early 1960s formation of Britain's celebrated avant-garde architecture group, Archigram, was written for The Twentieth Century Society's 2002 book "The Sixties," edited by Elain Harwood and Alan Powers. It argues that the group was a reaction to British "brutalist" architecture, with which Archigram members were both enamored and discontented, pushing brutalism to new extremes at the London County Council's South Bank Arts Centre and in florid, visionary competition entries.

SYMPOSIUM: The Open Hand: A Call for Civic Debate

ST. PAUL ST. Gallery AUT, New Zealand, 16 - 17 May 2014

- by stephen zepke
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- Architecture, Modernism, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, Le Corbusier

La descripción del proceso de participación de los usuarios del villaggio Matteotti se recorre a través de los diferentes momentos y varios modos en los cuales se realiza: cuestionarios, entrevistas, debates, publicaciones, exposiciones, visitas guiadas. La narración de los even-tos, que se siguen por seis años desde el establecimiento del estudio urbanístico hasta la entrega de los departamentos, busca aclarar el efectivo poder de decisión de los usuarios y cómo sus necesidades influyen sobre el edificio finalmente construido. Esta historia no puede prescindir de los espacios del complejo precedente, de los clientes, de los habitantes, de los encargados, de los programas de financiamiento para los trabajadores, de las empresas del Estado involucradas en la construcción o las contribuciones del sociólogo, del curador y del diseñador gráfico de las exposiciones, así como de las revistas de la empresa o el apoyo de los operadores.

- by Alberto Franchini
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- Participation, Team 10, Team X, New Brutalism
- by Alberto Franchini
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- Contemporary Architecture, Team X, New Brutalism, Castelfranco Veneto
- by Ryan Johnston
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- Art History, Installation Art, Eduardo Paolozzi, 20th Century British Art

Beside the successful prefabricated Hertfordshire schools in Great Britain during the mid-twentieth century, the archi-tects that were associated with the New Brutalism were reclaiming the role of architecture as a mediator in the relationship of the child within the environment and the community in which he lives. Their understanding of architecture as a new urban landscape built, in which everyday living unfolds, led them to a design approach that focuses fundamentally on the generation of architectural form derived from the specific functional, playful and mental necessities of those who use it. Its particular way of materialising and its specific manner of implementation in a given location are considered as imperative actions, which must arise ad hoc in every case, and will determine the running of educational complexes as real integrated living spaces.

- by patricia de diego
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- Prefabrication, School Architecture, New Brutalism, Psycogeography

Campus Confessions asks how ideas about education meet theories of architectural practice in he establishment of the Central Institute of Technology on its Heretaunga (NZ) site. New ideas about technical training in New Zealand, a local engagement with the New Brutalism, and an architect known for his humour and irreverence all compound to form this interesting chapter in New Zealand's modern architectural history.

- by Andrew Leach
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- Visual Studies, Education, Architecture, History of Education
- by Vanessa Grossman
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- Technology, Governance, Cold War, Architectural History

Nieves Fernández Villalobos: "Un ardiente homenaje visual al mundo escrito. Fahrenheit 451 (1966) de François Truffaut" en en González Cubero, Josefina; Pérez Barreiro, Sara; Villalobos Alonso, Daniel (eds.): Interiores Domésticos y... more

The article examines the impact of the study for Levittown of urban sociologist Herbert Gans on Denise Scott Brown’s thought. It scrutinizes Denise Scott Brown, Robert Venturi, and Steven Izenour’s ‘Remedial Housing for Architects or Learning from Levittown’ conducted in collaboration with their students at Yale University in 1970. Taking as its starting point Scott Brown’s endeavour to redefine functionalism in ‘Architecture as Patterns and Systems: Learning from Planning’, and ‘The Redefinition of Functionalism’, which were included in Architecture as Signs and Systems: For a Mannerist Time (2004), the article sheds light on the fact that the intention to shape a new way of conceiving functionalism was already present in Learning from Las Vegas, where Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Steven Izenour suggested an understanding of Las Vegas as pattern of activities. Particular emphasis is placed on Scott Brown’s understanding of ‘active socioplastics’, and on the impact of advocacy planning and urban sociology on her approach. At the core of the reflections developed in this article is the concept of ‘urban village’ that Gans uses in US in The Urban Villagers: Group and Class in the Life of Italian-Americans (1972) to shed light on the socio-anthropological aspects of inhabiting urban fabric.

- by Marianna Charitonidou
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- Sociology, Urban Planning, Urban Studies, Architectural Theory

This paper presents two important examples of reinforced concrete construction from the 1970s and 1980s in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. These are large-scale, public buildings and examples of in-situ concrete construction with some precast concrete elements. This paper is the first to argue that the buildings represent significant local accomplishments in concrete construction, a conclusion based on an examination of the structural and architectural use of concrete in each building. The paper draws on unpublished archival documentation and personal onsite investigations as well as the discussions in architectural textbooks and magazines of common building practices at the time. This study also compares the two buildings, which were built at the same time and had similar design and construction requirements. Finally, the paper considers if the use of concrete was approached differently in the two buildings and the ‘concrete’heritage value of each building.

- by Iva Stoyanova
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- Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Structural Engineering, Architecture
- by Valentina Antoniol
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- Architecture, Brutalism, New Brutalism, Brutalism Architecture

Brutalist Architecture in Jordan was interpreted and developed in ways unique to the Jordanian experience. This paper traces the roots of Brutalism in Jordan, and presents an understanding of the conditions that led to the presence of this 'style' of building and a codifying methodology based on the world characteristics of the style. The research methodology depends on a codifying system for Brutalist Architecture in Jordan using Reyner Banham's description of the characteristics of Brutalist Architecture which he explained in his seminal essay of December 1955, in which he attempted to codify the then emerging architectural movement of Brutalism. Nine building cases are chosen and analyzed using 'operationalizing'; i.e., validating real variables of Brutalist characteristics in selected buildings where the level at which the ranking or measuring approaches reality is called the 'reliability'. The aim of 'operationalizing' is to make the characteristics validity and reliability accessible for more quantitative research. Buildings are chosen from different building categories including educational, corporate and government buildings. The choice of buildings conforms to the era between 1945 and 1985. The research concludes that there are some roots for New Brutalist architecture in Jordan, the buildings that represent this style adhere to the group of characteristics described in Banham's article of 1955.

At the end of the Second World War, the Hungarian-Jewish painter Magda Cordell McHale fled to London, where she remained until 1961, when she moved to the United States to pursue a career in futurology with her husband, the artist John McHale (d. 1978). The decade or so she spent in London was the most prolific phase in her artistic career. It saw her involved in the foundation of the Independent Group (1952–55), and exhibiting at the Institute of Contemporary Arts and the Hanover Gallery. Although Cordell was widely recognized for her ambivalent portrayals of the female body as mythic archetype and techno-scientific testing ground, she has not received due acknowledgment in the recent literature on postwar Britain and the Independent Group. This article re-evaluates the legacy of her proto-feminist artworks, arguing for Cordell’s important contribution to postwar British art and culture.

- by Giulia Smith
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- Art History, Painting, Science Fiction, Feminism

Lucy Bradnock, Courtney J. Martin and Rebecca Peabody, eds., Lawrence Alloway: Critic and Curator (Los Angeles, CA: Getty Research Institute, 2015), 34 colour and 18 b/w illustrations, 224 pp., ISBN 9781606064429, Paperback $40 Ben... more

- by Giulia Smith
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- Feminism, Art Criticism, British art, Pop Art
- by Benjamin Flowers
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- Brutalism, New Brutalism
- by Catherine Blain
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- Architectural History, 20th century France, Modern Architecture, Modernism
- by Alberto Franchini
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- Architecture, Concrete, Construction, Social Welfare