# Brutalism around the World



## vancouverite/to'er (Apr 22, 2007)

post any pics of brutalist architecture....ugly or beautiful


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

HK's *City Hall* is considered brutalist


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## Okty1 (Jan 8, 2007)

Teresa Carreño Theater, Caracas. Venezuela























































I think it's pretty brutalist to me, though the concept is somewhat confusing.

Caracas is full of brutalist architecture, beautiful and ugly. I'll post some more later.


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## Tuscani01 (Nov 24, 2005)

The Library building at my university, Ryerson U.


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## canadave87 (Oct 8, 2007)

^ Library buildings, at least in Ontario, seem to love the brutalism. I don't have a pic right now, but our library at the University of Ottawa is pretty brutalist as well.


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## egramsbergen (Sep 16, 2002)

Waterside apartments, NYC, East River between 25th and 30th Streets.


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## Avens (Jan 19, 2006)

Tuscani01 said:


> The Library building at my university, Ryerson U.


I had a chance to study for a year at Ryerson, my course at Bournemouth Uni does an exchange thing with you guys. Wish I'd taken it up. I've always wanted to go to Toronto.

That theatre in Caracas looks like the Thunderbirds HQ. kay:


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Anyone have photos of Place Bonaventure in Montreal? In a country so overwhelmed by its geography and nature, brutalism is a sharp contrast. It gives Montreal a feeling of permanence and solidity that you don't find in such abundance elsewhere in Canada. One of many reasons I love Montreal. Please post if you have it.


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## Tuscani01 (Nov 24, 2005)

Avens said:


> I had a chance to study for a year at Ryerson, my course at Bournemouth Uni does an exchange thing with you guys. Wish I'd taken it up. I've always wanted to go to Toronto.
> 
> That theatre in Caracas looks like the Thunderbirds HQ. kay:


Cool. What program was it for? My program has an exchange with schools from around the UK and Australia but money and grades were an issue for me.


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## redstone (Nov 15, 2003)

Singapore Power Building, built in 1975 was recladded in 2006



















The building features an internal public plaza, as opposed to be a very enclosed and private office block.


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## gappa (Mar 13, 2007)

A lot of Canberra is brutalist. National gallery, High Court, etc etc. Here's the High Court from the outside:










And the inside:










You could also class the National Carillon as Brutalism as well:


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## egramsbergen (Sep 16, 2002)

The Barbican Centre, London, 1969


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## 1878EFC (Jun 24, 2006)

One from Liverpool, the Royal Sun Alliance building nicknamed the sandcastle, this is due a refurbishment and maybe get a 20 storey tower added.










looks nice on the skyline at night lit up


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## mediadave (Apr 19, 2006)

The school of art at Dundee University.


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## egramsbergen (Sep 16, 2002)

This thing in Liverpool reminds me of Habitat67 (Montreal)


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## darkangel87 (Oct 8, 2007)

This is Museo de la Naciòn (National Museum) in Lima, Perù. Built as the Ministry of Fishing under the regimen of General Velasco.










And this is the Petroperù building in Lima. Petroperù is the national company of petroleum.










And, this is Sheraton Lima Hotel and behind it the Civic Center and its Tower, once the tallest buiding in Perù (now is Chocavento Tower, in San Isidro district)


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## JP_Neptune (May 19, 2006)

I think these two can be considered example of brutalist architecture in Lisbon, Portugal:

A building in downtown, finished in 1971, if I'm not mistaken - I consider it the ugliest building in the whole city for several reasons.









The palace of justice.


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## JoseRodolfo (Jul 9, 2003)

In São Paulo - Brazil


Lina Bo Bardi´s project.




















This one is a project of the architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Pritzker Prize winner.


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## Chicagoflo (Oct 8, 2007)

yuck!  I guess the Dallas city hall biulding could be lol but looks kewl anyway!


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## vancouverite/to'er (Apr 22, 2007)

how 'bout this bad boy?

Robarts Library-University of Toronto
......a must have picture for a brutalist enthusiast

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Robarts_Library_in_UofT.jpg


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## jmancuso (Jan 9, 2003)

wow, that library in buenos aires is painful to look at.


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## Occit (Jul 24, 2005)

*Coromoto Cathedral, Guanare - Venezuela*


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## TalB (Jun 8, 2005)

The River Park Towers over in The Bronx is probably the biggest brutalist buildings in NYC.


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## Quall (Feb 15, 2006)

Pallo_3 said:


> love those types of apartments, i wish i lived in one of them :drool:


You love alot of weird things. Like Canadian weather. :nuts:


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## Quall (Feb 15, 2006)

I hate brutalist architecture with the intensity of a thousand burning desert suns.

Unfortunately, Canadian cities like Toronto have tones of it. For example,

City Hall (Nathan Phillips Square)










and Sheraton. There are a hundred buildings that look exactly the same.


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## Brasil Guy (Sep 17, 2002)

Some more brutalism in Brazil

Edifício Acal, São Paulo, 1974.









Edificio Capitanea, São Paulo, 1973











Tribunal de Contas de São Paulo, 1971









MASP, São Paulo, 1961, Lina Bo Bardi









IBM Headquarters, São Paulo, GianCarlo Gasperini


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Great thread. I totally understand most people's aversion to brutalism, but when done right, some are fantastic. The Montreal Metro, Place Bonaventure, and Habitat are good examples of Montreal's successful courtship of this style.


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## canadave87 (Oct 8, 2007)

TRMD said:


> I hate brutalist architecture with the intensity of a thousand burning desert suns.
> 
> Unfortunately, Canadian cities like Toronto have tones of it. For example,
> 
> City Hall (Nathan Phillips Square)


I'm generally not a brutalism fan, but surely you can't dislike Toronto City Hall. It's some pretty awesome modernist architecture and a real symbol of Toronto.


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## Jackhammer (Jun 28, 2005)

TRMD said:


> I hate brutalist architecture with the intensity of a thousand burning desert suns.
> 
> Unfortunately, Canadian cities like Toronto have tones of it. For example,
> 
> ...


Toronto City Hall is not brutalist it is modernism. That is a marble facade not concrete and the shape and form to not meet the definition of Brutalism.


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## canadave87 (Oct 8, 2007)

Jackhammer said:


> Toronto City Hall is not brutalist it is modernism. That is a marble facade not concrete and the shape and form to not meet the definition of Brutalism.


That's what I thought as well, but I wasn't sure. I know brutalism is another form of modernism, and beyond that my technical knowledge of architecture goes into "Ooo, that building is pretty!" territory, so I didn't really go there. City Hall is an awesome building, though - I mean, it was even on Star Trek, that has to be worth something! :lol:


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## Quall (Feb 15, 2006)

canadave87 said:


> I'm generally not a brutalism fan, but surely you can't dislike Toronto City Hall. It's some pretty awesome modernist architecture and a real symbol of Toronto.


Really? I think City Hall is a monstrosity. Look at the back! Two, big marble (which looks like concrete) walls without any windows! I like the old City Hall.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

It's marble? It looks very concrete when you walk past it. Regardless, I love City Hall, but am not a big fan of the view from the back either. 

I do like that bunker heavy feel of brutalism, but brutalism needs to be creative and over-the top to be worth the effort. It should be as imposing as a steel mill, oil refinery, or the Nostromo in the movie Alien. Too much of it is just boring and depressing.

TRMD: I understand your dislike of brutalism. Alot of it isn't very appealing, but is there any you do like? There are some that are spectacular.


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## gladisimo (Dec 11, 2006)

Some buildings at berkeley are brutalist. 

How I hate them... they just look like barren piles of concrete...


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## Rapid (May 31, 2004)

University of Toronto's Robarts Library
Third largest research library in North America, but considered an eyesore by the students.


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## canadave87 (Oct 8, 2007)

^ Robarts is a nice building - the problem is, it's impossible to actually appreciate it from street level, which is just stupid. It's a neat design, but squandered.


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## Quall (Feb 15, 2006)

isaidso said:


> It's marble?


It's concrete. I thought Jackhammer was referring to City Hall.



isaidso said:


> TRMD: I understand your dislike of brutalism. Alot of it isn't very appealing, but is there any you do like? There are some that are spectacular


None, but I gave it a good thought.


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## Jackhammer (Jun 28, 2005)

TRMD said:


> It's concrete. I thought Jackhammer was referring to City Hall.


I was referring to City Hall and it is marble.


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## PresidentBjork (Apr 29, 2007)

The North Building of the Denver Art Museum. Finished in 1974, designed by architect Gio Ponti.

By *Molas* on flickr


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## Quall (Feb 15, 2006)

Jackhammer said:


> I was referring to City Hall and it is marble.


Source?


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

I think he means 'Metro Hall' on King Street that was built in 1992 to house the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto and its employees. In 1998, all city hall offices were amalgamated at 'new' City Hall for Toronto built in 1965. That's the curved structure at the north end of Nathan Philips Square designed by Finnish architect, Revell. That is concrete. The old Romanesque Revival City Hall built in 1899 directly to the east of this square is made from a reddish stone. Not sure what exactly.


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