I like when the brutalist architecture is contrasted with green spaces.

It says enough when they depict an dystopian future in films they often show Brutalist architecture.

I live in sight of Trellick , and worked on many high rise builds . The apartments are huge inside with far higher ceiling heights than other HR's , and the access riser being separate from the flats is super safe , there's nothing to burn .

I think that part of the reason that brutalist architecture is so polarizing is because of what a lot of these buildings have turned into. Unfortunately, a lot of brutalist buildings have been poorly maintained over the years and just look really weathered and crappy today. Brutalist buildings also have a stigma in the UK of housing low income people. Therefore, a lot of people associate brutalist architecture with poverty and dilapidation.

Most of these buildings have all the appeal of an overpass

I'm glad there are those who like this style, because I for one do not. I called it "bleak futurism". I find it dark, heavy and depressing. But to each they're own .

Trellick tower is an amazing building. Beautifully designed and exceptionally well executed. Unfortunately the problems earlier on were due to council incompetence. Now the best flats sell for over £1m, but most are still social housing. The Barbican towers are even more expensive, the top floor triplexes go for over £4m

So much better than the bland homogenous glass towers popping up today designed with no passion, detail or style

I call it the "educated ugly" style. I love it even if i don't like it, it's important in history of architecture, and the fine detaling is never going to be done any more.

Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate in Camden is awesome!

For me, Brutalism now forms an historical part of the British (and many other) nation's landscapes. Large structures such as bridges, could also be seen as being Brutalist too. I personally appreciate their design as befitting a machine that is fit for its purpose which is the basis of its own form of "beauty". Take the Battersea Power Station for example. The landscape of that part of the Thames would be so much less characterful if that building had been demolished. I would even go as far as to say that the Egyptian Pyramids are "stylistically" an ancient type of Brutalism. They are huge, simplistic and overpower their surroundings. No-one is intending to demolish them. Many (as seen in some of the other comments) see Brutalist architecture as "dystopian", that is of course, an opinion people are entitled to have. I would argue that the "Post Modernist" architecture that succeeded Brutalism is a far more confused style which degrades all the styles it pastiches. I (also) personally think that there are good examples of each period of architecture. Too many brutalist buildings have been demolished. Some, perhaps weren't really that remarkable, however, others were mistakenly demolished, now lost forever. I have always regarded the National Theatre as a giant piece of urban "sculpture". The Barbican is a great example of an inner city "oasis of calm". The Trellick Tower is now a "beloved" landmark in the Ladbroke Grove district and has a "sister" in Tower Hamets, known as the "Balfron Tower", (although it is rarely mentioned), even though it looks almost identical, (albeit slightly smaller) than its West London "sibling". I think to demolish every example of a particular style would be turning one's back on the rich and varied history of a nation. Long live diversity.

Some people associate brutalism with their nostalgia for 1960s "swinging London"... When they demolish one of these buildings, what do they do with all the concrete rubble?

Beeing from ex Yugoslavia i love brutalism ,just tons off so Interesthing buildings ,i love to explore them

Thank you for this video, more people need to know about those amazing buildings! Brutalism is ma favourite style in architecture and Barbican my beloved example of it :)

I like every style of architecture. The variety is what makes cities cool.

Brutalism is the cilantro of architecture imo

When I visited London the first time, my first stop was to The Barbicon. Brutalism when do right is truly amazing. It will start making a strong comeback soon. Everything goes in cycles. It will start making a presence again soon.

Brutalism buildings look so sturdy. I love the texture feeling of it. Strong.

The suburb of Helsinki called eastern Itä-Pasila was built in 1975. I love it and I hope whole city was like that. Parking lots underground. Parks in centers of 10 story buildings and light driving lanes in between

It's chaotic rawness is both appealing and appalling

Loves the Barbican

It is a big line between the brutalist buildings that look good and those who look like warship on land.

Love Trellick Tower sm

Is it beautiful or terrible? Let's only talk to people who adore it.

Yet Henrietta lives in a beautiful Georgian terrace townhouse considering she loves her brutalist tower block so much

Love them or hate them I think they help make London a more interesting place and sadly most new construction is Primark quality with Prada prices.

I respect old buildings but people shouldnt be made to live in a museum to architectural mistakes.

I love brutalist buildings and there are many, many iconic ones around the globe. However there are too some hidious and very poorly designed ones that simply are an eye-sore. Fortunatly their numbers are few.

It is dividing opinions that is for sure. There are those who understand it and those who don't.

Me have acordar a la residencial San Felipe de Lima, aunque me parece mas bonita.

How much for the apartment in the tower?

I used to find them so ugly but now, the more quirky ones (like at Guildhall), I find them intriguing.

Brutalism architecture should perdure in time, should be conserved

Preserve them.

Brutalist buildings are terrible, but if you put some green stuff on them, it looks beautiful, it looks like a rock escarpment with plants. I really hate brutalism and I like brutalist buildings with green and life.

John Portman! Hyatt Regency Center! Embarcadero Center!

I love Brutalist so much. The clean lines and utilitarian style never go old in my opinion.

LOVE IT 😁 These buildings she has listed definately need protection.

Economics is too important to be left to economists alone, architecture is too important to be left to architects alone.

I love the style (in theory) but I'm glad it was a fad and not a lasting design trend... Less is more if you ask me!

I hope to experience the UK one day

Bring back victorian architecture!

When i first visited Barbican, i was immediately transported to my hometown Hong Kong as we have plenty of brutalist architecture, in university, social housing estates.

I used to live in Trellick Tower growing up and personally it wasn’t the best place to live. But it is a striking design and figure, changing the skyline in the area.

Beautiful!

This is why I love the uk there so are many cool buildings. Sheffield in the North of England has a huge council estate called park hill, which is a favourite of mine.

Brutalist Architecture, I love it, I love it, I love it! These buildings are slowly becoming iconic, imagine how they will be seen 100 years from now.

The one thing from the old USSR that managed to take root in the west.

it's a shame that all the gentrification happening in london means removing all these historic and prominent brutalist buildings. I feel like a lot of councils take the easy route of destroying these buildings that people associate with low income and crime and replacing them with bright cladding and uninspiring glass monoliths rather than try to fix the root cause of crime and poverty in these areas

2:50 basically she is saying unless you are conned by modern architecture “experts”, you will realise how ugly it is. Bold and innovative yes, but also ugly.

It's sad to see so much people unable to appreciate the beauty of it. Concrete and plants, hmmm, wonderful.

Chicago has wonderful brutalist bldgs worth visiting. Marina City, for one

I think that if you were to research public opinion on brutalist architecture at least 70% would say it's ugly and needs to be knocked down asap.

Some are good as they look like sculptures, but as housing or some other use they are depressing, they forget the environment and the relationship they should have with the city and the people.

honestly if i'd be some leader of a country or a city i would build all the city just by using this style of architecture and lot of plants and that would be amazing imho

imagine if the whole city was built like that...

In my country there was a horrible architect called Oscar Niemeyer. Some beauty but zero functionality.

I suspect most people who like brutalist estates haven’t had to live in one.

Howard Roark would approve. Ayn Rand still pisses off architects. (:

Love it

This is my own personal opinion, but i'd describe the Barbican as an awe-inducing place, the water and the greenery contrasted with the huge amounts of concrete make it striking and unique, Trellick tower though, is just plain ugly and depressing. When it comes to brutalism in the UK, there's way too much 'trellick tower' going on, and not enough 'Barbican'.

you would never find this person living in a brutalist building

Suggestion: the strange transitions between black and white and color are simply distracting. I really like brutalism, but the way this was filmed made it so incredibly irritating to watch that I only made it half way through before turning it off.

No architectural style can be defined as "ugly", we have to look at the context.

What’s with the shaky images?? Stop it

Primary attraction of brutalist to developers is that they are MUCH CHEAPER TO BUILD

The answer is terrible

Why does the greyest city in the world have so many depressing buildings?

Yes there were ops in Uk. I dont care... just switch..

Britain went through the same relationship phase with Victorian architecture ... couldn't demolish it fast enough at one point. Then came the regret.

Brutalism works for institutional/government buildings not residential.

beautiful. it's nothing but a work of art. brutalism all the way.

They used prison aesthetic but just gave it a fancy name.

In time it'll just be another low rent stack of shanty's. It's devoid of any warmth at all in a country that already lacks sun. It's modern in a bad way , it reflects every modern problem with not 1 benefit or solution. The u.k. is not Iran. It's cold , and this architecture is even colder. Not every new idea is a good idea , infact most new ideas are bad ideas simply because of it was that easy it would have been that way in the first place.

Most brutalist architecture is horrible looking… a big exception is, of course, the Barbican.

yeah I'm sure brutalist architecture is amazing when you're a middle class white woman who doesn't have to live there lol

Such eyesores.

Beautiful

Architecture is for everyone, it shouldn’t be ‘difficult’ for anyone who doesn’t have a highly technical background in architecture. There is a reason we don’t play slipknot in train stations..

I hate it but it is part of our history, what can you do?

It is inhumane, hostile and depressing and I cheer whenever one of these monsters is demolished.

They look like buildings that you would see in 1970s communist Poland

All English architecture for the commoners was always brutalist according to nearly all travellers and reporters. All what they would take to cease to be brutal would be vertical gardens.

It does look pretty decent in black and white however unfortunately i cannot adjust my eye filters yet 😂I for one think that some of them look ok but then the other just need to go they are disgusting and dull. We need more green, more colour, more trees not more concrete 😫 soon we gonna be like Peach Trees in Dredd

knock it all down

I need to see more brutalism. Its just not enough. Some of the buildings here barely qualify for brutalist compared to Russian influences in eastern europe tho

We need more brutalism and less "beauty".

Hideous buildings, these eyesores should all be demolished!

Ugly and horrible, really an enemy to life. Pull them all down, humankind really deserves better.

We need to understand the time it came to life. Brutalism came after 2 long wars, with turmoil and desteoyed cities. We needed to reconstruct or whole nations. Cheap and fast, we were in need of housing and places to work, not beautiful details and facades. And brutalism did exactly what it had to do. I don't think it's pretty. Generally, it is not. But it's part of our history and it was a solution. There is no need to demolish it. It shows what we needed to do to get back on our feet. It was a solution. A good one.

I think brutalist is good in idea but bad in design

Most of brutalist buildings are total eyesores... the Barbican is a notable exception

*C'est d'une laideur sans pareil. Les architectes qui ont conçu cette chose sont les créatures les plus égoïstes et insensés qui soient.*

Simply terrible ... designers for a dystopian sci-fi future couldn't come up with architecture that is more depressing, cold and inhuman. Whoever came up with that had issues ... and whoever signed off on all this getting actually built? Even worse or corrupt to the core.

Terrible

disgusting

Hideous buildings!!

Artificial, fashionable, tasteless, uniform paradoxical elitist architecture with no respect for local values, traditions, culture, history, heritage, products, communities, ecosystems. Only interested in making a political/ideological statement while fitting a lot of people including economic migrants to feed industry and capitalism without caring for the well-being and local communities and values.

Not my cup of tea

NOT a fan! Aptly named!