What's your favourite bit of brutalist architecture?

[Yellow Fang]

High Cross Castle?
View attachment 636781
Good view of Crinkle Crags & Bowfell from the self caterers eating area.

When was that built. I ask because I recently looked up the term postmodern with reference to architecture. The jist was that in Modernist buildings form followed function with no frilly bits. In Postmodern buildings the architect might draw in a flying buttress or Doriic Arch just for the hell of it. This might be s Postmodern building.

 

[Fab Foodie]

You could own your own! True Beton brut.....

https://www.wowhaus.co.uk/2022/03/2...-and-art-studio-in-crestet-south-east-france/

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Have we had St Peters yet?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Peter's_Seminary,_Cardross

 

[Blue Hills]

At street level, the Barbican is very much "parking garage" in its feel. But up on the raised walkways, it does make a LOT more sense. I should know, I went to school there for eleven years...

I do like the Barbican - very nice in the summer by the water. I know a semi-secret patch of grass near the water you can get to by a "clever" way.

This 11 years wasn't one school I assume - unless kept down?

The Barbican was of course a massive bomb site before it arose and, factoid, the first bomb to fall on central london in WW2 fell there.

 

[Blue Hills]

How about this for some 117 year old pre-fabricated concrete?
View attachment 636581

nice, but a youngster as concrete houses go.

This, not too far from me, was a wreck when I first came to these parts, was one of the first, some say THE first I think, as built in 1873 by Charles Drake of the Patent Concrete Building Company as a sort of demo of the system.

Listed.

Now restored.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/549_Lordship_Lane#:~:text=549 Lordship Lane, also known,II listed building in 1994.

more on it here, which contains the idea that it could actually be the country's first ever Brutalist building.

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/a-gothic-house-made-from-concrete-32740/

 

[Bollo]

Have we had St Peters yet?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Peter's_Seminary,_Cardross

Can’t remember, but its fate seems to pop up in the press now and again. From what I’ve read it’s suffered maintenance issues from the start and was a bit of a white elephant for the Catholic Church. A pity, as it must have been a fantastic place in its pomp.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Can’t remember, but its fate seems to pop up in the press now and again. From what I’ve read it’s suffered maintenance issues from the start and was a bit of a white elephant for the Catholic Church. A pity, as it must have been a fantastic place in its pomp.

The 1966 interior pic hints at it, doesn't it

 

[Blue Hills]

Can’t remember, but its fate seems to pop up in the press now and again. From what I’ve read it’s suffered maintenance issues from the start and was a bit of a white elephant for the Catholic Church. A pity, as it must have been a fantastic place in its pomp.

seem to recall that it has appeared.
A very short lived pomp - and not a great advert for the supposed thing up there - would have thought s/he would have known that world demand for catholic priests was going into freefall. Seminaries all over, even in Italy, are somewhat undersubscribed to say the least.
Pity it couldn't have been sold/repurposed - maybe would have been more chance of that if they had built it in a fleshpot rather than in the wilds.

 

[Profpointy]

nice, but a youngster as concrete houses go.

This, not too far from me, was a wreck when I first came to these parts, was one of the first, some say THE first I think, as built in 1873 by Charles Drake of the Patent Concrete Building Company as a sort of demo of the system.

Listed.

Now restored.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/549_Lordship_Lane#:~:text=549 Lordship Lane, also known,II listed building in 1994.

View attachment 636904


more on it here, which contains the idea that it could actually be the country's first ever Brutalist building.

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/a-gothic-house-made-from-concrete-32740/

It's interesting as an early concrete building, but, at the risk of being the quibbling guy, it's not remotely "brutalist" as it's in the Victorian Gothic style if anything, just happens to be concrete rather than brick

 

[Blue Hills]

It's interesting as an early concrete building, but, at the risk of being the quibbling guy, it's not remotely "brutalist" as it's in the Victorian Gothic style if anything, just happens to be concrete rather than brick

fair/good point.I was just quoting "ianvisits" who is generally very good.

 

[Profpointy]

fair/good point.I was just quoting "ianvisits" who is generally very good.

I looked up his link and had not realised (or forgotten) that the word itself came from the French term for raw concrete; I assumed that was just a feature of the style. Still, and interesting building

 

[Reynard]

I do like the Barbican - very nice in the summer by the water. I know a semi-secret patch of grass near the water you can get to by a "clever" way.

This 11 years wasn't one school I assume - unless kept down?

The Barbican was of course a massive bomb site before it arose and, factoid, the first bomb to fall on central london in WW2 fell there.

Hah, many a summer term lunch hour was spent curled up on a little flagpole island in one of the lakes with a pack-up and a good book, occasionally flicking in a bit of bread into the water for the fish. The goldfish in there are mahoosive. It got me away from some less-than-pleasant classmates. One of the springtime excitements was watching the ducklings launch themselves off the balconies of the flats and into the water. That was just bonkers.

Yes, 11 years - prep and then senior school @ City of London School for Girls.

Don't really miss it tbh. Although I do miss the Barbican library. That place was epic. Sooooooo many books!

 

[Blue Hills]

Hah, many a summer term lunch hour was spent curled up on a little flagpole island in one of the lakes with a pack-up and a good book, occasionally flicking in a bit of bread into the water for the fish. The goldfish in there are mahoosive. It got me away from some less-than-pleasant classmates. One of the springtime excitements was watching the ducklings launch themselves off the balconies of the flats and into the water. That was just bonkers.

Yes, 11 years - prep and then senior school @ City of London School for Girls.

Don't really miss it tbh. Although I do miss the Barbican library. That place was epic. Sooooooo many books!

ta for info - tales of the city of london school for girls mafia might be inteteresting of course, but probably not allowed.
somewhere there's a popmusic vid (well film of course) shot on the barbican site as the thing was being built.
can't remember the group.

 

[Blue Hills]

wahay
here it is
with a song about building materials


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zstZkoGyZS4

 

[Fab Foodie]

nice, but a youngster as concrete houses go.

This, not too far from me, was a wreck when I first came to these parts, was one of the first, some say THE first I think, as built in 1873 by Charles Drake of the Patent Concrete Building Company as a sort of demo of the system.

Listed.

Now restored.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/549_Lordship_Lane#:~:text=549 Lordship Lane, also known,II listed building in 1994.

View attachment 636904


more on it here, which contains the idea that it could actually be the country's first ever Brutalist building.

https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/a-gothic-house-made-from-concrete-32740/

Being constructed of concrete in any old vernacular style doesn't make it a brutalist building.....