The beauty of brutalism

The word brutal would not normally bring to mind ideas of beauty, but this is not necessarily the case when the term Brutalism is used to describe certain buildings. When we understand elements such as the era, the circumstance and the purpose of Brutalist buildings, it becomes easy to see and appreciate the beauty in them.Brutalist buildings draw their title from the French term for "raw" or "unfinished". They were designed and build predominantly in the post-War era of the 1950s and 1960s, when the urgency of rebuilding bombed cities necessitated fast construction over the flair and polished look commonly associated with pre-War architecture. In keeping with this, Brutalist buildings were constructed predominantly from exposed concrete, the cheapest and most available building material at the time. This style has been extremely controversial over time, with critics decrying its lack of ornamentation and admirers appreciating the frank straightforwardness of the designs and forms.While the buildings lacked the attention to detail which was common in architecture from the 1930s, they certainly did not lack aesthetic quality or purpose. The majority of the Brutalist buildings in London stand as a bold, stark and ambitious statement of resolve, clearly making a statement of intent that the city can and will sustain any attack on it. If you consider the above purpose and reason for London's Brutalist buildings, it becomes easy to see the unique beauty and purpose which is inherent in this form of architecture.Some of the capital's most important examples of Brutalist architecture include the Barbican, the Trellick Tower, the Southbank Centre and the Balfron Tower, and many of these kinds of properties have been awarded listed status and marked as heritage sites. As creators of commercial and residential architecture in London and beyond, we take inspiration from many of the elements present in Brutalism, including the innovative use of materials and the functionality of the designs.