Brutalism Web Design: What It Is + 7 Great Examples

brutalism design

Brutalism appears aesthetically crude and is what you'd expect from a stark government building, university library, parking garage, or high-rise housing. It's rough, looks unfinished and minimalistic, and lacks flourishes or classic beauty. But now, like the chevron mustache, Brutalism is undergoing something of a revival. Despite two generations of abuse (and perhaps a little because of it), an enthusiasm for Brutalist buildings beyond the febrile, narrow precincts of architecture criticism has begun to take hold.

Let me give you some examples:

While brutalism is most popular on the web these days, many of the stylistic features like monochromatism and raw text are amenable to any design context, from posters to book covers. The more important consideration is audience and tone—in other words, the types of projects and brands for which brutalism will be a match. Similarly, web designers can expand on the original incarnation of brutalism, using animation to accentuate digital brutalist features or taking advantage of the lack of true borders on the web to create designs that go off the edge. Digital designers also subvert the common tropes of brutalism, accomplishing feats of which architects working with physical materials are not capable.

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

When Ernő Goldfinger designed London's Trellick Tower, it was intended to replace outdated social housing. Goldfinger's design includes 217 apartments, all of which have balconies. Special touches like sliding doors help save space while large windows give residents access to natural light. After going through a period of high crime, Trellick Tower is now a desirable place to live and its concrete construction helped save it from a 2017 fire.

What Is Brutalist Architecture? Key Design Elements to Know

brutalism design

Architect Janko Konstantinov uses concrete in a sculptural manner to bring a decorative effect to a building without cladding. In the Telecommunication Centre and Central Post Office the raw, exposed concrete takes center stage. Part of UC San Diego, Geisel Library is both the most recognizable structure on the campus and one of the most frequently celebrated Brutalist buildings.

Honesty and transparency

Sacred Modernity showcases "unique beauty" of brutalist churches - Dezeen

Sacred Modernity showcases "unique beauty" of brutalist churches.

Posted: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 10:00:00 GMT [source]

While exposed concrete and brick facades and monochromatic palettes might not have led to the most attractive buildings, they were easier and cheaper to construct. Brutalism in web design is a crude, plain, and transparent style that prioritizes functionality over form and effectivity over aesthetics. It’s characterized by its raw appearance and extremely simplistic and minimalist approach. Brutalism is one of those trends that seems to come and go in web design. It’s more that it doesn’t always fit with the style and tone of the times.

Famous Examples of Brutalist Design

Unfortunately, what we see now is not a complete picture of the original architecture, as the adjacent IKEA store demolished a portion of it to create a parking lot. This model community and housing complex was originally architect Moshe Safdie‘s master's thesis. Made up of identical, prefabricated concrete blocks, Safdie aimed to bring aspects to suburban living into an urban environment. Forgo delicately curved legs and ornate details of more traditional styles, and instead opt for strong angles and curves in chunky proportions for furniture and casegoods. An oversize, low-slung sofa can not only reflect the period’s geometry but make a statement, too. Look for handcrafted pieces made from unpainted natural wood, metal, glass, and stone.

London's best home renovations 2024

Brutalism, sensory gardens top Zillow's 2024 hottest home trends - Oct 17, 2023 - Zillow's media room

Brutalism, sensory gardens top Zillow's 2024 hottest home trends - Oct 17, 2023.

Posted: Tue, 17 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

This group formed in 1953 at the Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne, known as CIAM. This former office building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, has been converted into the Hotel Marcel. The architects conceived the Pirelli Tire Building to house the company's administrative offices, suspended above the research and development space. The two-story negative space in between was to help reduce the sound from the development labs in the above offices.

If you’re looking to implement this new design in your project then we recommend checking out the below tutorials. We have curated some special tutorials available out there to get you started quickly about the basics. This involves using contrasting colors, such as black and white, to create a dramatic and visually arresting effect. When it comes to objects and shadows, Neubrutalism frequently adds a black rectangle beneath buttons, creating a bold contrast rather than a subtle border.

The cost-efficient material is the basis for the look’s dramatic shapes, varying smooth and rough textures, and slightly drab neutral hues. The first project from Corbusier’s Unité d'Habitation is easily one of the most influential buildings to the Brutalist movement. Located in Marseille, the high-rise structure was designed to house the masses who had been displaced by the war. Inside, the building holds 337 apartments and also includes two internal shopping streets and a hotel.

Imagine hand-drawn, distressed letters or pixelated fonts, challenging established notions of beauty. Learn the fundamentals and see examples of great experimental web designs. Their About page is a dizzying expanse of floating visuals that’s controlled by the cursor — another great touch of unconventionality. With a black background and all of the text in the sans serif Angrandir, there’s a sense of stillness.

Working with US architecture studio Baskervill to create the symmetric facade, which features wide spans of black steel interspersed with wide windows, with a stretch of aluminium panelling above the entrance. Architecture studio Concrete has designed a hotel block for Dutch chain CitizenM in Downtown Austin, which is the brand's first Texas location and features artwork created in partnership with locals. "We are honoured to bring the late Rafael Viñoly's vision to life, serving as a poignant testament to his enduring legacy," said Madison Group vice president Josh Zagdanski. "Featuring four striking towers, a multitude of amenities, and intricately crafted public spaces, this development is set to redefine urban living in Toronto." Architecture studio KWK Promes has converted a slaughterhouse in the Czech Republic into Plato Contemporary Art Gallery, with exhibition spaces lined with rotating concrete walls.

Though polarizing, some Brutalist structures gained iconic status, and the style’s enduring influence is still visible in contemporary architecture. Brutalism was a movement in modern architecture responsible for some of the most striking building designs of the twentieth century. But its achievements also proved shocking and controversial, partly because of its emphasis on the use of unfinished concrete for exterior surfaces. Brutalism emerged after the Second World War but was rooted in the ideas of functionalism and monumental simplicity that had defined earlier architectural modernism, including the International Style. Brutalism sought to adapt earlier principles to a post-war world where urban reconstruction was a pressing necessity. In the decades following its zenith, Brutalism became redolent of urban deprivation and decline, largely because of its use in largescale social housing projects, but in the twenty-first century Brutalism is decidedly back in critical and popular fashion.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Classic barbecue options

Silver Permanent Hair Colour by Naturtint

The Meaning Behind The Song: House of the Rising Sun In New Orleans by Leadbelly