{"id":546565,"date":"2026-03-26T14:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/546565\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T14:37:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:37:08","slug":"an-introduction-to-brutalism-the-iconic-postwar-architectural-style-that-combined-utopianism-and-concrete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/546565\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introduction to Brutalism: The Iconic Postwar Architectural Style That Combined Utopianism and Concrete"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

The arti\u00adfi\u00adcial lan\u00adguage of Esperan\u00adto was con\u00adceived with high ideals in mind. In the eigh\u00adteen-eight\u00adies, its cre\u00adator L. L. Zamen\u00adhof envi\u00adsioned it as the uni\u00adver\u00adsal sec\u00adond lan\u00adguage of human\u00adi\u00adty, and if it has\u00adn\u2019t achieved that sta\u00adtus by now, it at least remains the world\u2019s most wide\u00adly spo\u00adken con\u00adstruct\u00aded aux\u00adil\u00adiary lan\u00adguage. One fac\u00adtor com\u00adpli\u00adcat\u00ading its spread is that no lan\u00adguage, even one guid\u00aded by inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adism, can remain the same for long enough in two dif\u00adfer\u00adent cul\u00adtures. As in spo\u00adken and writ\u00adten lan\u00adguages, so in the con\u00adcrete one of archi\u00adtec\u00adture \u2014 and in the case of the style known as Bru\u00adtal\u00adism<\/a>, that would be lit\u00ader\u00adal con\u00adcrete. Meant to make human\u00adi\u00adty whole again after the Sec\u00adond World War, its build\u00adings end\u00aded up being rather more par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar, and less utopi\u00adan, than their archi\u00adtects intend\u00aded.<\/p>\n

Exam\u00adples aplen\u00adty appear in the new video above from Built Nar\u00adra\u00adtive<\/a>, which offers what amounts to a post\u00adcard tour of Bru\u00adtal\u00adist (and Bru\u00adtal\u00adism-adja\u00adcent) build\u00adings from around the world. Named for its main mate\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal b\u00e9ton brut, or raw con\u00adcrete, the style came into its own dur\u00ading the rebuild\u00ading of war-ruined sec\u00adtions of British and con\u00adti\u00adnen\u00adtal Euro\u00adpean cities \u2014 and, over in the U.S., the rapid pro\u00adlif\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion and expan\u00adsion of col\u00adlege cam\u00adpus\u00ades<\/a> \u2014 which had to be done quick\u00adly and under less-than-extrav\u00ada\u00adgant bud\u00adgets.<\/p>\n

Libraries, research facil\u00adi\u00adties, city halls, admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtive build\u00adings, cour\u00adt\u00adhous\u00ades, hous\u00ading projects: these are the sorts of struc\u00adtures that most often took Bru\u00adtal\u00adist form in the nine\u00adteen-fifties, six\u00adties, and sev\u00aden\u00adties, result\u00ading in the insti\u00adtu\u00adtion\u00adal, bureau\u00adcrat\u00adic, and in some places total\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtions it still has today.<\/p>\n

Some pub\u00adlicly loathed Bru\u00adtal\u00adist build\u00adings, like the Tri\u00adcorn Cen\u00adtre<\/a> in Portsmouth and the\u00a0Third Church of Christ, Sci\u00aden\u00adtist<\/a> in Wash\u00ading\u00adton, D.C. have been torn down, often after decades of neg\u00adli\u00adgent main\u00adte\u00adnance. Oth\u00aders, like the Bar\u00adbi\u00adcan Estate<\/a> in Lon\u00addon or Habi\u00adtat 67<\/a> in Mon\u00adtre\u00adal, are now beloved sites of pil\u00adgrim\u00adage. Wide\u00adly acknowl\u00adedged mas\u00adters of Bru\u00adtal\u00adism include Le Cor\u00adbusier<\/a>,\u00a0who pio\u00adneered it with build\u00adings like the Unit\u00e9 d\u2019Habi\u00adta\u00adtion<\/a> in Mar\u00adseille (not Berlin, con\u00adtra the cap\u00adtion in the video) and Ken\u00adzo Tange<\/a> (pro\u00adnounced \u201ctawn-gay,\u201d not \u201ctang\u201d as the nar\u00adra\u00adtor says it), whose work steered the Japan\u00adese ver\u00adsion of the move\u00adment in its own sub\u00adtle, some\u00adtimes play\u00adful direc\u00adtions. Now, thanks in part to the rapid dif\u00adfu\u00adsion of archi\u00adtec\u00adtur\u00adal pho\u00adtog\u00adra\u00adphy made pos\u00adsi\u00adble by social media, a new enthu\u00adsi\u00adast of Bru\u00adtal\u00adism seems to be born every minute. Even if they don\u2019t believe that\u00a0archi\u00adtec\u00adture can bring a new world into being, they still feel the pull of a\u00a0future that nev\u00ader came \u2014 or, at any rate, has\u00adn\u2019t come yet.<\/p>\n

Relat\u00aded Con\u00adtent:<\/p>\n

Every\u00adthing You Ever Want\u00aded to Know About the Beau\u00adty of Bru\u00adtal\u00adist Archi\u00adtec\u00adture: An Intro\u00adduc\u00adtion in Six Videos<\/a><\/p>\n

Why Peo\u00adple Hate Bru\u00adtal\u00adist Build\u00adings on Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Col\u00adlege Cam\u00adpus\u00ades<\/a><\/p>\n

Why Do Peo\u00adple Hate Mod\u00adern Archi\u00adtec\u00adture?: A Video Essay<\/a><\/p>\n

Good\u00adbye to the Nak\u00ada\u00adgin Cap\u00adsule Tow\u00ader, Tokyo\u2019s Strangest and Most Utopi\u00adan Apart\u00adment Build\u00ading<\/a><\/p>\n

The World Accord\u00ading to Le Cor\u00adbusier: An Ani\u00admat\u00aded Intro\u00adduc\u00adtion to the Most Mod\u00adern of All Archi\u00adtects<\/a><\/p>\n

An Espres\u00adso Mak\u00ader Made in Le Corbusier\u2019s Bru\u00adtal\u00adist Archi\u00adtec\u00adtur\u00adal Style: Raw Con\u00adcrete on the Out\u00adside, High-End Parts on the Inside<\/a><\/p>\n

Based in Seoul,\u00a0Col\u00adin<\/a>\u00a0M<\/a>a<\/a>rshall<\/a>\u00a0writes and broad\u00adcasts on cities, lan\u00adguage, and cul\u00adture. He\u2019s the author of the newslet\u00adter\u00a0Books on Cities<\/a>\u00a0as well as the books\u00a0\ud55c\uad6d \uc694\uc57d \uae08\uc9c0<\/a>\u00a0(No Sum\u00adma\u00adriz\u00ading Korea) and\u00a0Kore\u00adan Newtro<\/a>.\u00a0Fol\u00adlow him on the social net\u00adwork for\u00admer\u00adly known as Twit\u00adter at\u00a0@colinm<\/a>a<\/a>rshall<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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