Brutalism
Seattle Plans Remodel of World’s First Freeway Cap Park
The Brutalist design by a famed landscape architect will be preserved, but not without better visibility and improved lighting.
Brutalism Becoming a Source of Preservation Controversy
Brutalism might not be anybody's idea of beautiful, but that doesn't mean examples of the architectural style aren't beloved by many. As Brutalism comes of age as historic, preservation battles are heating up—especially in Washington, D.C.
D.C. Metro's Recent Controversial Decision: Painting Over Brutalism
Controversy erupted last week in Washington, D.C., after D.C. Metro decided to paint Union Station's vaulted ceilings—a famous icon of the District, it's regional transit system, and the architectural style of Brutalism.
The Significance of Architecture in Music Videos
What can be learned from music videos about popular culture's relationship to architecture?
MoMA Exhibit Explores Latin American Architecture
A new exhibit at MoMA celebrates the "fitfully idealistic" architecture of Latin America, 1955 through 1980. Broad in scope, the exhibition ranges from Brasília's bold utopianism to the community-focused tactics of Bo Bardi.
Are Brutalist Buildings Too Obdurate to Preserve?
Famous examples of aging architecture styles, such as brutalism, are in need of renovations, sometimes requiring the public to pay the bill. But brutalist buildings are often obdurate and hard to adapt and reuse.
Brutal or Beautiful? UK Celebrates Post-War Architectural Heritage
A warehouse, electricity substation, and brutalist apartment complex are among the buildings recently granted heritage protection by the British government. Heritage designation for post-war architecture, however, remains contentious.
Brutalist Icon in Philadelphia Under Threat
Philadelphia's award winning police headquarters, called "the Roundhouse", has received a belated 50th birthday present: the threat of demolition.
GSA Proposes a Trade for D.C.'s Unloved Hoover Building
The FBI may get the new building it's been clamoring for, and developers may get a prime opportunity on D.C.'s most prestigious avenue, if a recent proposal by the GSA comes to pass. But what will happen to one of the city's last Brutalist buildings?
Rudolph Renovation Shows How Far Brutalism Can Bend
While it doesn't sounds like the most historically sensitive renovation, designLAB's reworking of Paul Rudolph's Carney Library at UMass Dartmouth shows that Brutalist monoliths can be adapted to suit contemporary needs and tastes.
Adapting Modernist Landscapes for Contemporary Needs
Alex Ulam discusses the challenges of redesigning mid-century urban landscapes to accommodate contemporary tastes and social activities, drawing on examples like Dan Kiley's North Court at Lincoln Center and Boston City Hall Plaza.
Too Ugly to Preserve?
As D.C.'s J. Edgar Hoover Building reaches the end of its 40 years of service as the headquarters of the FBI, one of the city's last examples of Brutalist architecture is getting little love from preservationists as discussion begin over its fate.
Orange County Center Gets Stay of Execution
While proponents for the preservation of Paul Rudolph's Orange County Government Center won a reprieve last week, Anthony Paletta is more concerned with the types of civic architecture the Rudolph building's critics would hope to construct.
Arguing the Case for Preserving Ugly Buildings
Jumping into the lively debate over the future of Paul Rudolph's brutalist government building in Goshen, NY, The New York Times has asked a number of debaters to weigh in on whether even ugly, unpopular buildings deserve to be saved.
The Story Behind One of the Most Controversial Buildings in the Country
Love it or hate it, it's nearly impossible not to have an opinion of Boston's brutalist City Hall building. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of its conception, Leon Neyfakh reports on the improbable story of its creation.
Why Ugly Buildings Matter
Llewellyn Hinkes-Jones makes a strong argument for why ugly buildings deserve some love.
The Architecture of Openness
Critic Christopher Hume says that "an architecture of openness" is overtaking Toronto, foregoing individual personality for a greater sense of community and connectivity.
Is This London Project a Landmark, or Blight?
Robin Hood Gardens is a 70s era, Brutalist public housing complex. Preservationists say it is historic; the government wants to tear it down. Reporter Nicolai Ouroussoff pays the project a visit to determine for himself.
Preserving Brutalism
At Yale, a modernist landmark is preserved and revitalized. Ada Louise Huxtable looks at the challenges in updating the harshness of brutalist architecture.
Can Brutalism Clash with Religious Exercise?
A Washington, D.C. church contends that its current facility, a historic Brutalist buildling, interferes with its theology and should be able to replace it with something more "welcoming" and fitting with "the scale of the community."
Pagination
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