When a harsh, unadorned, precisely ‘brutal’, concrete monolith occupies some of our luckiest destinations, some are dumbfounded wondering when, why and for whom such a malignant growth seemed allowable yet meritable. A thought circling the minds of Sydney-siders in particular as debates over the iconic ‘Sirius’ building continue after it was denied heritage status earlier this year. Perhaps it’s time we step back and reflect on the stylistic aesthetics and social ethics so strongly executed by the proponents of the Brutalist movement, especially where this legacy is under threat.
“In order to be Brutalist, a building has to meet three criteria, namely the clear exhibition of structure, the valuation of materials “as found” and memorability as image.” – Reyner Banham
Controversial then and now: Here are 8 examples of Brutalist architecture facing upheaval and disposal, some a possible return to glory.
Sirius Apartment Building / Tao Grofer / Sydney / 1978-79
In simple terms, the ‘Sirius’ building is a conspicuous stack of concrete boxes bounding harbour and roadway with views toward either side. Such a description is rarely relevant to the debate. In actuality, it represents a conflict of interest. ‘Sirius’ stands on lucrative land as an architectural artefact housing principles of social egalitarianism as well as a pillar of Sydney’s iconism. Void of heritage recognition, thus far ‘Sirius” fate remains under contention between state intervention and public protest.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
Central Library / Marcel Breuer / Atlanta / 1980
No doubt the functionality of the building as Atlanta’s main library was in its dying days when Atlanta City Council passed the decision to build a more contemporary library in place of Breuer’s modernist structure in June. The learning centre of a bustling city should be pleasant and inspiring. The question asked is whether this urban relic has the capacity to provide such a vision in its future context. Local professionals, the media and advocacy groups argued ‘yes’ with a public petition to reverse the resolution. The final verdict came in two months later when council commissioners voted to renovate Atlanta’s Central Library, a clear victory for renowned Marcel Breuer’s last undertaking.
Image via ArchDaily
Robert Hood Gardens / Alison and Peter Smithson / London / 1972
On the other hand, for Robert Hood Gardens in East London, demolition is impending. The two curved blocks of apartments and the green space they enclose have endured five centuries of urban change from the post-war to the present. Dr Dirk van den Heuvel, of Delft University, calling it a “calm and stress-free place amidst the ongoing modernisation of the London cityscape.” London-based firms, Haworth Tompkins and Metropolitan Workshop have released designs to replace the estate with a series of more permeable buildings, differing in form from the Smithsons’ “streets in the sky” however ideologically indebted to one of the UK’s most pivotal housing schemes which once stood in their place.
Image via ArchDaily
Morris A. Mechanic Theatre / John Johansen / Baltimore / 1967
Elsewhere, the plight has reached the brutal point of no return. Once the heart of Baltimore’s broadway scene entertaining the likes of Katherine Hepburn and Nigel Hawthorn, the Morris A. Mechanic theatre has lost its fame since. To be replaced with a 30 storey tower of retail space, a hotel and rental apartments, Johansen’s concrete sculpture was simultaneously fluid and blockish in its sole materiality. A form unpacked and revealingly disassembled during its demolition in 2015.
Image: Matthew Carbone
Orange County Government Centre / Paul Rudolph / Goshen, USA / 1971
In happier days, the Orange County Government Centre was a house of decisions. More recently, it is the point of decision. Despite the efforts of architectural preservationists and high profile architects such as Zaha Hadid, the former institutional structure has been deemed too difficult to maintain. Although demolition commenced in December 2015, as it remains, the formal configuration is still strikingly contemporary. Much of the building’s significance lies in its precursory role to both democratic planning and the cantilevering facades considered ‘ultra-modern,’ today.
Image via Dezeen
Preston Bus Station / Keith Ingham and Charles Wilson / Lancashire, England / 1969
The Preston Bus Station presents a few arguments. One that functionalism and aesthetics are mutually inclusive and, at the time of construction, that modern life is communal and metropolitan. There is much to be appreciated in the curved edges of the parking structure. Light and shadow extend and recede perpendicular to an unrelenting symmetry. At the same time, cars are prevented from crashing into a vertical wall and the balconies shade passengers moving on and off buses stationed under the lowest carpark. Big in ideas, the Preston Bus Station is certainly also big in size with 80 bays and considered one of the largest bus stations in the world despite serving a small population just over 100 000. With its domineering presence, the building struggles to communicate the mobility of a 21st-century transport hub. Consequently, in this case, compromise struck. In 2013, the station was granted a Grade II English Heritage listing and is set to be renovated into a youth facility with John Puttick Associates’ design being chosen in August 2016.
Image via Dezeen
St. Agnes Church / Werner Düttmann / Berlin / 1967
The West German era welcomed few examples of Brutalism, one of them was the St. Agnes Catholic Church erected within the social housing community of Kreuzberg. Werner Düttmann, the Building Director of West Berlin in the 60s, whose own firm was well-versed in public projects, designed the square-based concrete cuboid. The church has since endured many phases of change, much of which involved neglect and proposals for demolition, the last of which was its transformation into the König Gallery. Johann König, a prominent Berlin art dealer, acquired the property in 2011 and described its potential saying, “the building is top lit, and created to be very rough and raw on the outside but soft and bright on the inside—ideal for showing art,”.
Image via freundevonfreunden
Birmingham Central Library / John Madin / Birmingham / 1974
Birmingham’s monumental library building is currently well acquainted with its demise over a year-long demolition process. The last major portion to take on the boulder was the zig-zag bridge in August 2016. A dramatic end to an intense controversy and a stark contrast to the optimistic intentions surrounding the building’s construction. Birmingham in the late 1960s was emerging as England’s largest city outside London, the powerful geometry and grand scale of its Central Library was to propagate an image of social progress. John Madin’s scheme served this purpose for over 40 years and witnessed an annual traffic rate of hundreds of thousands of visitors in recent years. Nonetheless, the impact of its removal exemplifies its former presence; a depleted site of vast dimensions awaits a new chapter.
Image via ArchDaily
The post Sirius to Architects: 8 Undervalued Brutalist Buildings Facing the Wrecking Ball appeared first on Specifier.