Emerging from the Modernist Movement of the 1950’s, Brutalism is characterized by massive, monolithic, blocky shapes with a rigid geometric style, predominately made of poured concrete.
Using rough, unfinished surfaces and exposed structural elements, brutalism is certainly an acquired taste, often being called “cold & soulless”. Called a reaction against the nostalgia of 1940’s architecture, brutalist architecture can be seen in both Europe and the Americas.
Interestingly enough, impressions of brutalism has changed over the years. Low-cost brutalist housing originally symbolized socialist principles, and (fittingly enough) began to decline, eventually being associated with totalitarianism and urban decay.
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