5 ms·

"Brutalist architecture" looks to me a lot like every other building here in Warsaw Pact countries.

noir_lord 11y ago
Can see the similarity but "built mostly with unfinished concrete" != Brutalism. It has a defined style, my absolute favourite is The Barbican Estate in London https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/London_barbican_18.JPG https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/London_b... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbican_Estate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbican_Estate When done without style it's horribly oppressive though but I don't think any less oppressive than the nasty steel and glass monoliths going up everywhere. Also I love concrete, when done using high grade materials and polished it leaves a lovely finish approaching marble. I'd quite like to use it as a material for furniture but for the weight problems.
- cardinalfang 11y ago
  In the UK there are/were so many "brutalist carpark" constructions with poor quality finishes that weathered terribly that the reputation is rather tarnished.
- cannam 11y ago
  I love the Barbican as well. These big concrete cliffs and plains remind me of the countryside in some remoter bits of the UK. It's telling though that so few people go there. To walk east from Barbican tube station, you can either go along Beech St (through the tunnel built for motor traffic under the Barbican) or over a footbridge and across the Barbican itself, which is quieter and has better air and doesn't involve waiting to cross any roads. The latter seems the obvious thing to do, but at rush hour the tunnel is busy with pedestrians, while the Barbican pedestrian level is almost empty.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
- njs12345 11y ago
  The Barbican is definitely amazing — another favourite of mine is the Preston Bus Station: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Preston_bus_station_232-26.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Preston_...
s_q_b 11y ago
That's not a coincidence. American haute architecture for much of the twentieth century was heavily influenced by Soviet architecture, and Brutalism is an offshoot of that school.

Can see the similarity but "built mostly with unfinished concrete" != Brutalism. It has a defined style, my absolute favourite is The Barbican Estate in London https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/London_barbican_18.JPG https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/London_b... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbican_Estate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbican_Estate When done without style it's horribly oppressive though but I don't think any less oppressive than the nasty steel and glass monoliths going up everywhere. Also I love concrete, when done using high grade materials and polished it leaves a lovely finish approaching marble. I'd quite like to use it as a material for furniture but for the weight problems.

cardinalfang 11y ago
In the UK there are/were so many "brutalist carpark" constructions with poor quality finishes that weathered terribly that the reputation is rather tarnished.
cannam 11y ago
I love the Barbican as well. These big concrete cliffs and plains remind me of the countryside in some remoter bits of the UK. It's telling though that so few people go there. To walk east from Barbican tube station, you can either go along Beech St (through the tunnel built for motor traffic under the Barbican) or over a footbridge and across the Barbican itself, which is quieter and has better air and doesn't involve waiting to cross any roads. The latter seems the obvious thing to do, but at rush hour the tunnel is busy with pedestrians, while the Barbican pedestrian level is almost empty.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
njs12345 11y ago
The Barbican is definitely amazing — another favourite of mine is the Preston Bus Station: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Preston_bus_station_232-26.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Preston_...

s_q_b 11y ago

That's not a coincidence. American haute architecture for much of the twentieth century was heavily influenced by Soviet architecture, and Brutalism is an offshoot of that school.