Brutalism is Back, But Did It Ever Leave?

 The Concrete Comeback No One Saw Coming

Once upon a time, Brutalism was the villain of architecture cold, oppressive, the bad breakup everyone wanted to forget. It was the style of concrete fortresses, dystopian housing blocks, and government buildings that looked like they could survive an apocalypse and maybe were designed to.

But here we are, in the age of Instagram, where Brutalist buildings are now photogenic, mysterious, and painfully cool. Suddenly, we’re falling in love with the architecture we once tried to erase. The question is: Did Brutalism ever actually leave, or did we just need time to appreciate the bad boy of design?

Brutalism 101: From Utopia to Ugly Duckling

Brutalism was born in the post-war era when architects thought they could fix the world with raw concrete and functional design. Inspired by Le Corbusier’s béton brut (raw concrete) philosophy, the movement exploded in the 1950s and ’60s, bringing us monumental, geometric, no-frills buildings that prioritized honesty over beauty (Banham, 1966).

o   Example: The Barbican Estate (London) – Once dismissed as a concrete monstrosity, now one of the most expensive places to live.

o   Example: Boston City Hall – A Brutalist icon that people either love, hate, or love to hate.

o    Example: Unité d’Habitation (Marseille) – The original “vertical city” concept, proving Brutalism was meant to be socially progressive.

The goal? Affordable housing, functional public spaces, cities for the people. The reality? Weirdly poetic decay, economic failures, and a whole generation that called it an eyesore.

The Fall: Why We Tried to Erase Brutalism

By the 1980s, Brutalism had fallen hard. People saw it as soulless, ugly, and let’s be honest a little terrifying. Many of these buildings were associated with failed social housing projects, crime, and neglect, turning utopian dreams into urban nightmares (Bristol, 1991).

1. Concrete Doesn’t Age Well

• Unlike traditional materials, concrete stains, cracks, and weathers in a way that makes buildings look abandoned even when they’re not.

• Without maintenance, Brutalist buildings started resembling set pieces from dystopian sci-fi movies.

2. Public Perception: The “Bleak and Oppressive” Narrative

• Many Brutalist buildings were designed with function first, comfort second which translated to cold, fortress-like exteriors that didn’t exactly scream “home” (Gissen, 2018).

• Governments saw an easy scapegoat: Demolish the Brutalism, solve the social problem.

o   Example: The Pruitt-Igoe Housing Complex (St. Louis, USA) – Demolished in 1972, seen as the death of modernist utopian architecture (Bristol, 1991).

Brutalism wasn’t just abandoned it was actively erased. Cities demolished some of their most ambitious social projects, trying to rewrite the past instead of fixing what was broken.

The Brutalist Revival: Why It’s Suddenly Cool Again

Fast forward to today, and suddenly, Brutalism is everywhere. What happened?

1. Instagram Made It Aesthetic

• The rise of digital photography turned Brutalist buildings into hyper-dramatic, moody backdrops.

• Harsh concrete, geometric patterns, and raw textures look insanely good in black and white.

2. Nostalgia & Rebellion Against Glass and Steel

• After decades of boring, glass-box skyscrapers, people are craving buildings with personality and presence.

• Brutalism isn’t afraid to make a statement, and in an era of copy-paste urban landscapes, that’s refreshing.

3. The Sustainability Argument

• Tearing down concrete buildings is one of the least sustainable things you can do. Adaptive reuse is becoming a trend, and Brutalist structures are prime candidates (Gissen, 2018).

• Instead of demolishing, architects are restoring and reimagining Brutalist icons.

o   Example: Trellick Tower (London) – Once considered a dystopian nightmare, now a highly desirable residential building.

o    Example: The Barbican Centre (London) – No longer just a Brutalist relic now an architectural treasure.

Did Brutalism Ever Really Leave?

Brutalism never truly disappeared it was just waiting for the right time to be appreciated, rebranded, and reinterpreted. What was once a punchline is now a cultural obsession.

The real question is: Are we reviving Brutalism for its ideals, or are we just aestheticizing its rawness without understanding what it stood for?

Either way, the comeback is real. And this time, concrete isn’t going anywhere.

References:

• Banham, R. (1966). The new brutalism: Ethic or aesthetic? Architectural Press.

• Bristol, K. (1991). The Pruitt-Igoe Myth. Journal of Architectural Education, 44(3), 163–171.

• Gissen, D. (2018). Sustainable architecture's shortcomings. Architectural Design, 88(6), 22–28.

• Mostafavi, M. (2017). Ecological urbanism. Lars Müller Publishers.

• Articles from Dezeen, ArchDaily, and The Guardian on the Brutalist revival.

  
  

Image References:

o   The Barbican Estate (London. [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/73/be/a9/73bea9daa27196b4b8a7810bddc63abe.jpg.

o   Boston City Hall. [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b9/23/42/b92342d3d97c4e99b545605cd3331f3d.jpg.

o   Unité d’Habitation (Marseille). [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/49/53/46/495346dc4b23c1b7eea3bf69239ac603.jpg.

o   The Pruitt-Igoe Housing Complex (St. Louis, USA). [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/1c/4a/1b/1c4a1ba7e5ee67b8370ee670401fb571.jpg.

o    Trellick Tower (London).  [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a9/ee/53/a9ee53140ad43fb9e536fc11fcb0ad74.jpg.

o   The Barbican Centre (London). [Photograph]. Pinterest. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ad/2b/ca/ad2bca13d87f4c8cd16c1c7472cb4694.jpg.