Brutalist Architecture Discussion Thread!

[fosterk 4]

Deleted original post.

Sounds like a cool idea, I'll be keeping my eye on this one!

[rp2005 165]

For once fosterk, could you just butt out... this is not a BAT request thread it's a discussion of brutalism thread and was spawned from a side discussion in gascooker's BAT thread - your constant 'put this in the BAT request thread; put this in overgenralized thread XYZ' has killed several potentially interesting threads and I'm sick of it...

 

[fosterk text deleted]

 

fosterk - if you wish to reply to me do so in your own post.  Editing of someone else's post unless it is to remove unsuitable material is an abuse of your role as moderator and will be reported to Dirk as such. 

 

 

[DuskTrooper 314]

Hmm..perhaps we need an architectural discussion forum, then...

But, if any requests are to be made, they belong in the official BAT request thread.

[Glenni 1,444]

hmmmm i was thinking of making sum brutalist building.can i get any pics for inspiration?

 

[DaMaster_architect 0]

I have always liked the brutalism style. I think it fits well in a city, so good luck!

[rp2005 165]

Chartsengrafs - as you will have gathered from the side discussion in gascooker's thread - there are a few fans of brutalism or other 60s architecture scattered about the site.  GaryReggae is the real specialist in this area and has contributed several brutalist buildings.

 

I wasn't aware of St Peter's before you mentioned it ... much like the Tricorn it seems that people's hostility to brutalism is going to lose us  a gem of a building.

 

It is odd that something like the trellick tower, which was a byword for ugly architecture should undergo such a renaissance whilst at the same time other equally valuable sixties buildings are either being torn down or left to decay...

 

There's a rather interesting brutalist building not too far from me - it's the former HQ of the Bradford and Bingley Building Society in Bingley and is a very distinctive building.  It's still in relatively good condition and is used as a call centre - I should be able to get some photos at the weekend.

 

 

 

 

[frogface 352]

Can't forget The Barbican

generally not too big a fan of brutalist but I think this one works nicely with the London skyline

[GaryReggae 80]

This definitely isn't a BAT Request thread, just an architectural discussion which may lead to inspiration for BAT models.

Well Portsmouth's Tricorn Centre was a very fine example of the style. Here's a photo, there are more

Here



The Tricorn was intended to be a 'market in the sky' with shops at ground level, a fruit and veg market on the 1st floor deck and multistorey parking above. It also featured a very large (for the time) supermarket, a department store, pub, nightclub and flats (which were never let). Despite the heroic architecture featuring minarets, spiral car park access ramps, castle-like slit windows and the innovative design, it never caught on and was demolished last year.

London's Hayward Gallery is great as well:

Smithfield Poultry Market, London, also threatened with demolition:



The fantastic Gateshead Car Park, as featured in cult movie 'Get Carter' (actually designed by Owen Luder, the same architect that designed the Tricorn and ironically is almost certain to be demolished as well, tis a disgrace:


Birmingham's old Bullring Centre, sadly no long with us. At the time it was the largest shopping centre in Europe but it's gone.



Mersey Centre, Stockport, I've never been there but it looks interesting.:

Manchester's M&S building:

Image deleted, 800x600 please.

-K.F.

Brunel House, Portsmouth: Another building facing destruction but I really like this vacant office block. The arched entrance canopy reminds of St Peter's in Cardross!

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//brunel.jpg align=baseline>

I am particularly iunterested in Brutalist retail buildings - especially shopping centres. If anyone has any photos of these, please post them here or send them to me!!!

EDIT: Sorry, I messed up my image URLS!

http://image05.webshots.com/5/9/66/93/64796693VNCrkm_ph.jpg>

Cumbernauld%20Town%20Centre%20-%20an%20entire%20Butalist%20town%20centre!!!
Great%20Yarmouth%20Observation%20Tower%20-%20although%20it's%20now%20been%20vandalised%20by%20postmodernists%20and%20looks%20hideous.
Wyndham%20Court%20Southampton

I%20am%20particularly%20interested%20in%201960s%20retail%20buildimngs,%20especially%20shopping%20centres,%20if%20anyone%20has%20any%20photos%20of%20these,%20please%20post%20'em%20here%20or%20send%20them%20to%20me!!!

[6459978. 106]

Mmmmm.... brutalism.. Well Robarts Library at U of T is quite an impressive example (It's modelled after a concrete peacock):

 

http://nora.hd.uib.no/icame16/robarts.jpg align=baseline>

[Klemvast 0]

I couldn't find ANY pictures at all from this building, except for this small one:

 

 

This is the so-called Villa Urvater in Sint-Genesius-Rode (near Brussels, Belgium). It was built by a diamond tycoon from Antwerp in the 1960s and was recently saved from demolition by a Belgian minister, after a lot of protest from architecture lovers from all over the world.

 

The architect was Andr

[ILL Tonkso 1,236]

Hmm the Tricorn, my entrance to work is on Charlotte Street, which is the street that runs around the back of the tricorn (well ahem, not anymore). the Tricorn was often thought to be the Ultimate brutalist building, so many people campaigned for it to be listed but no, Portsmouth City Council want there 'Northern Quarter' deveopment. A Huge John Lewis Store next door to arch rivals Marks and Spencers (where i work)

 

Brunel house has begun the BAT stage, allthough those windows caused a hugh poly count its not too high to cope with.

[wolverine 12]

Ugh, I remember seeing Tricorn center in a book in one of my architecture classes. Nof offense, but that place was a flop in functionality and aesthetics. Although the parking structure was the only thing that worked.... until it was imploded that is.

[Emozo 0]

dont worry GaryReggae the gateshead car park is still there... last time i checked. and as they build modern flats hopefully the demand for inner city parking will keep it open, providing we dont get any more socialist looneys re developing newcastle! as a resident of newcastle on the opposite side of the Tyne the brutalist style is quite well showcased with massive fly overs and office blocks near the town centre. sadly the labour government of the time demolished many beutiful buildings from the 1800's and early 1900's to make way for the modern city image sadly almost all the buildings were ceap and nasty and suffered from cronic damp and vandalism amongst other things so their efforts were pretty much wasted untill recent re-development. its such a shame that such breath taking and spectacular buildings leave such a bad taste.

[AgentUhOh7 10]

My hospital, Sarah H. Bingham General Hospital, is in the Brutalist style, although I did not design it knowing what Brutalism was. Interesting info, thanks!

Here's my hospital, for those interested:

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

I'm glad to see that this thread has survived as it is important for people to be able to post on architectural styes.

Now Frogface how are you coming along with your Barbican project?

[ardecila 124]

Gary: That Smithfield Poultry Market looks REALLY cool! If that's considered Brutalist, I might have to change my overall opinion on the style.

EDIT - apparently, you've done two other buildings by the same engineer (Brynmawr Rubber Factory/Bank of England Printing Works), although you released them under generic names. I knew that dome looked familiar! I might try my hand at BATting this Poultry Market in a few weeks, after I finish my current projects. That is, if I can get some good photos...

quote>

Around here, Brutalism is just a bunch of rough-looking boxes in random configurations, that someone decided to call architecture.

UIC (U. of IL at Chicago) is chock-full of Brutalist buildings. The campus is actually pretty cool, and the buildings integrate with it, although I don't care for their style.

[masher 3]

That hurts my eyes!...Postmodernism is teh best style of all!
I agree with DT...we need an architectural forum....and relax people....fosterk was just conditioned to say that after all the ambiguous threads that were started before this one...

[mentarman 14]

Personally I hate this stuff. My college campus was inflicted with three horrendous Brutalist buildings, and there's a terrible one in a prominent location where I live now. BUT I'm all for diversity and wish you guys the best of luck.

PS I looked for pictures of the buildings I mentioned but had no luck. Guess no one wanted to photograph them... can't say I blame them.


(If it's not clear, I really do wish more power to ya, I'm not trying to harsh your thread. You must be aware you've picked a .... controversial style of architecture.)


EDIT: Wait a minute, here's the student center:
(front)




(rear)


And here's a sliver of the truly vomitous library:




Link to a big pic:
here

In this one you can see where it connects to the beautiful old library .

An aerial view if anyone wanted to BAT the godforsaken thing.

And the administration building (check out how well it fits in with the beautiful old buildings behind it )


(link because the pic's big and I can't be bothered to crop and re-upload it.)
here

Here's a web site with more pics, the buildings in question are Rebecca Crown Center, Norris University Center and University Library.
click me - if you dare!


EDITEDIT: Sweet! I found a pic of the last one on my list, the horrid PET Building here in St. Louis (Currently empty; they're thinking of turning into condos.)
get small children and the infirm out of the room before clicking me.

more potentially harmful photos

Hope you liked some of those because I feel dead inside after looking at them.

[DuskTrooper 314]

My personal favorite; the Alley Theatre:

[Casper3141 60]

Date: 6/22/2005 3:09:33 PM
Author: rp2005

For once fosterk, could you just butt out... this is not a BAT request thread it's a discussion of brutalism thread and was spawned from a side discussion in gascooker's BAT thread - your constant 'put this in the BAT request thread; put this in overgenralized thread XYZ' has killed several potentially interesting threads and I'm sick of it...

quote>
Well Why doesnt the BSC Post a Thread in their forum for those who Wish to discuss such things?

[rp2005 165]

Date: 6/23/2005 2:11:59 AM Author: Casper3141  Well Why doesnt the BSC Post a Thread in their forum for those who Wish to discuss such things?

Had the thread been started by a BSC member, no doubt it would have been.  As it is Chartengrafs started it here ...

 

Anyway, I mentioned it in passing earlier, but here's Trellick Tower a once reviled piece of London architecture.  In general Trellick Tower now enjoys acceptance and even has some fans ... quite a turn around for one of the most hated buildings in Britain.

 

The main frontage:

 

align=baseline>

 

 

Detailof the service tower:

 

http://www.dreamgroove.com/images/trellick_tower.jpg align=baseline>

 

[masher 3]

Like...how come no one has mentioned habitat 67?...

It's ugly but at least interesting....

[buddybud 63]

i love habitat 67...anyways heres a picture of a brutalist house from toronto....i think this one works quite well and reminds me of falling water by flw

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//InternationalTo[1].jpg align=baseline>

[freedo50 1]

btw guys i just thought i should tell u that the car park from get carter is now a listed building becasue of its fame and therefore cannot be demolished.
i live in the area around it and i dont like it but there u go different ppl

[Lord_Bertrum 3]

Date: 6/23/2005 2:11:59 AM Author: Casper3141 

Well Why doesnt the BSC Post a Thread in their forum for those who Wish to discuss such things?

quote>

 

I thought this was an open discussion forum?

 

Anyway, is anyone familar with Park Hill flats, Sheffield?

 

 

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//5_flats.jpg align=baseline>

 

 

 

 

Also some of you may enjoy reading this.

 

http://www.uni-koblenz.de/anglistik/subjects/as/papers/kfischer-hs/architecture.html

 

[deadwoods 542]

Wow, what a great thread. When I created the buildings that became the IHT Pharmaceuticals, I didn't realise it was in this style (it started out as a basic concrete slab building).

Like many have said, I'm not a big fan of the brutalist style (now that I know what it's called). Waaayyyy too much concrete. It always makes me think of the 50's visions of the future

But there are some nice looking buildings in this thread, like the Toronto house (where the stark concrete works nicely with the trees, almost like a cliffface, which is part of the Fallingwater appeal), that Admin block with clocktower and the habitat building. I remember seeing it in magazines when I was yound. Didn't it win an award of some sorts?

I suppose the J. Edgar Hoover (FBI) building in Washington would also fit into this style. I've always been impressed by that one.

That UT building is pretty wierd, and certainly not the nicest architecture at UT (I've wandered around the campus a few times). EDIT - Duh, Uni of Toronto, not Uni of Texas


EDIT#2 - I'd say the National Gallery of Australia and Australian High Court buildings also fit into this style. The more I think about some of the examples, the more I'm warming to the style in general. Here's some pics of the High Court.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//high_court_of_australia_1.jpg align=baseline>https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//i_cth_72_1980.jpg align=baseline>

[GaryReggae 80]

Wow, there's some great buildings here!  It's very good news about the 'Get Carter' car park.  I also like the Trellick Tower and the Park Hill estate in Sheffield although I've never been there.

[catweazle_touchwood 1]

Maybe a bit off-topic: these are real-life houses in the town of 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.

width=400 border=0>

 

[EricPoehlsen 0]

Our University is built in that style
Aerial Photo:




This is one reason why I don't like the SC4 standard university, it simply does not look like one that you would encounter in germany. I am always tempted to BAT it but it would fill about a medium city, not very practicable I think

[gascooker 4]

ChartsandGrfs - Glad to see you've started a thread on this. It should be an interesting resource for BATTers and somewhere to discuss the styles away from the ridiculous official requests thread. Shame it was nearly killed off just as it was begiining. - well said RP, maybe DT is correct that a whole new architectural forum is needed on this site

Anyway - enough of the politics of posting -   I am thinking of making Trelic Tower soon. Like RP says its fortunes have changed somewhat recently and now its hard to get a property in the building, due to its popularity. 10 years ago its balconies were filled with boxes, laundry and discarded appliances. Now you will mostly see middle-class couples sipping cafe lattes on their Ikea patio sets amoungst exotic B&Q palm trees and Yuccas.

 

I dunno if anyone has visited the building, but the access tower looks like it could hardly stand up on it own, in RL, especially when viewed from the ground. You are highly likely to see hoardes of tourists and arhitecture students swarming around it. And it has some fabulous shady shops at its base. The area has been recently gentrifified and it looks really impressive as it rises out of the monotonous victorian terraces in the Paddington basin...