Brutalism Reconsidered: Ten Defining Buildings from the Movement

Brutalism, once dismissed as cold and unforgiving, is experiencing a revival driven by climate concerns, adaptive reuse, and appreciation for its monumental concrete forms. The term derives from Le Corbusier's béton brut (raw concrete), but the movement's core is honesty in materials. Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation in Marseille (1952) is an early example. In Britain, Alison and Peter Smithson's New Brutalism emphasized social purpose. The style peaked in the 1950s–70s across campuses, government buildings, and housing. Decline followed due to poor maintenance and associations with failed social experiments, especially in Eastern Europe. Today, eco-Brutalism integrates greenery. Ten key examples illustrate the movement's range: Hunstanton School (Norfolk, 1954) by the Smithsons; Denys Lasdun's National Theatre (London, 1976); the Barbican Estate and Centre (London, 1982) by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon; Ernő Goldfinger's Trellick Tower (London, 1972); Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67 (Montreal, 1967) for Expo 67; Boston City Hall (late 1960s), which won an AIA Honor Award in 1969; William Pereira's Geisel Library (La Jolla, 1970), named for Dr. Seuss; Mihajlo Mitrović's Western City Gate/Genex Tower (Belgrade, 1977), a cultural monument since 2021.