‘My fascination with concrete, industrial landscapes, and what I later came to know as “Brutalism” started at an early age,’ says Peter Chadwick, author of new architectural tome, This Brutal World.
Growing up in Middlesbrough in the 1970s, Chadwick – who is principal of London-based graphic design studio Popular – found his aesthetic shaped by the geometric forms and unapologetic concrete masses that dotted the landscape of his youth.
‘These chemical and steel plants not only dominated the horizon beyond the town centre, they also supplied an industrial soundtrack of relentless clattering metal. It’d be fair to say that the collision of this industrial landscape and sheet-metal audio has shaped and formed my taste in both architecture and music.’
He explains: ‘I saw direct parallels between these concrete surface patterns and the record sleeves I loved, as well as in the grid systems created by Josef Müller-Brockmann and Wim Crouwel, graphic designers [I had been] introduced to at college.’
Chadwick has created artwork for music artists including Fatboy Slim, Primal Scream and Groove Armada. His work often draws subtly on the geometric planes and proportions of Brutalist structures. In 2014, he took his obsession with Brutalism even further when he set up a Twitter account dedicated to his favourite concrete juggernauts titled ‘This Brutal House’.
Named after the 1986 Nitro DeLuxe track, This Brutal House quickly amassed a cult following by bringing Chadwick’s interests in music, architecture and graphic design together. Now he’s gone analogue with the release of the book.
Chadwick whips us through 8 of his favourite ‘lesser known’ concrete stars and shares a soundtrack to accompany them.
Praxis in Mexico City by Agustin Hernandez (1970)
‘Like an extra from 1970s fantasy film Logan’s Run, this concrete spaceship by Agustín Hernández nestles comfortably into its suburban hillside footprint. The appealing faceless street level exterior is both intriguing and imposing. The angular interior spaces offer geometric-shaped views of tree tops and the valley below this heroic mass of floating concrete.’
Photography: Alamy Stock Photo
Edificio Solimar in Havana by Manuel Capado (1944)
‘The sweeping, white-concrete balconies of Edificio Solimar stand out from the colourful dwellings normally found in the centre of old Havana. Built in 1944, the building is an early example of the Modernist movement still in its infancy in Cuba at the time. A wonderfully hopeful and exciting Wells Coates-like building that was ahead of the curve, it’s reminiscent of one of the sleek ocean liners that regularly visited the nearby port.’
Photography courtesy Phaidon Press
Brasilia TV Tower in Brasilia by Lucio Costa (1967)
‘This is one of a few buildings in Brasilia not to be touched by the hand of Niemeyer. It’s also one of the tallest buildings in the city, and can be found marooned on the central Monumental Axis. To me, it looks like an oil rig that has lost its way. The slender TV Tower is seated on top of a robust concrete base, whilst futuristic, curved concrete legs firmly hold it in position. The TV Tower is a building of its time that feels old fashioned in today’s digital world… Perhaps that is why I like it so much.’
Photography: Alamy Stock Photo
Silos 13 in Paris by VIB Architecture (2014)
‘This is a bold and lively building which welcomes the passing traffic on the eastern ring road of Paris. The organic shapes cut out of two of the concrete chambers give the silo a playful and sculptural feel. The wonderfully vibrant hit of orange that encases the windows in the lower horizontal chamber adds a light-hearted note to the industrial site – concrete has never been so much fun.’
Photography: VIB Architecture
Hemeroscopium House in Madrid by Ensamble Studio (2008)
‘If Bond ever went Brutal, he would surely live here. The rear view facade belies the concrete allusion beyond, and huge concrete girders seemingly hold the living areas in a secure vice-like grip below them. The wonderfully dynamic spaces created by the brazen concrete beams are intimate but playful in this aspirational, futuristic concrete and glass place I dream to call home.’
Photography: Roland Halbe
Tiwag Power Station in Silz by Bechter Zaffignani Architekten (2014)
‘To me, the lopsided sideways view of Tiwag is reminiscent of a game of Jenga. This honest and dominant Austrian building is most definitely a power station yet it manages to sympathetically connect with its natural surroundings. Large expansive walls of raw concrete are perfectly framed by the lush green forest pin the hills beyond. It really is “beauty and the concrete beast”.’
Photography: Rasmus Norlander
Buffalo Court Building in Buffalo by Pfohl, Roberts & Biggie (1974)
‘Perhaps the soaring concrete walls that encase the courtrooms are intended to instil the guilty with the feeling of a prison once they have entered inside them… This most unapologetic of Brutalist buildings is dominated by large concrete panels with only the narrowest of windows revealed at its precast edges. An overpowering yet exciting building that is unwilling to share its interior to the casual passer by.’
Photography: Vik Pahwa
AV House in Buenos Aires by BAK Architects (2011)
‘Tucked away in the Mar Azul Forest on the coast not far from Buenos Aires, this magical concrete bolthole manages to embrace and make its presence felt in amongst the surrounding pine trees. The joy of AV House is in its details: the board marked concrete walls reflect the texture of the tree trunks whilst the slender concrete upright columns are similar in size and proportion to the trees. [It’s a case of] nature and concrete in perfect harmony.’
Photography: Gustavo Sosa Pinilla
‘This Brutal World’ is out now via Phaidon, and you can follow @BrutalHouse on Twitter and Instagram
