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BRUTALISM Béton brut (“raw concrete”) as its namesake, is also its primary material. Brutalist architecture, or New Brutalism, is an architectural style which emerged during the 1950s in Great Britain, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by their massive, monolithic and ‘blocky’ appearance with a rigid geometric style and large-scale use of poured concrete. New Brutalism is not only an architectural style; it is also a philosophical approach to architectural design, a striving to create simple, honest, and functional buildings that accommodate their purpose, inhabitants, and location. As well as concrete, other materials commonly used in Brutalist buildings included brick, glass, steel, and rough-hewn stone. Brutalist structures will emphasize a solid, unadorned and undecorated flat, concrete exterior. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design. The style commonly makes use of exposed concrete or brick, angular geometric shapes and a predominantly monochrome colour palette; other materials, such as steel, timber and glass, are also featured. Featuring visually heavy edifices with geometric lines, solid concrete frames, exaggerated slabs, double height ceilings, massive forbidding walls, exposed concrete and a predominantly monochrome palette, brutalist buildings prioritised function over form, and stripped-back minimalism over flashy design. Brutalism is an offshoot of modernism.
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