Hi everyone I've made a Discord for further discussions: discord.gg/4DWvahY94U. I'm also more likely to respond there as KZfaq comments aren't always the most ideal places for conversation. Thank you!

"...towards an architecture that is specific and *concrete* ..." lol

Maybe it's an artifact of growing up poor in the 90s, but I've always associated brutalist architecture with struggle and poverty. It never felt progressively inexpensive and sustainable, it felt aggressively cheap and low maintenance. In my home city, many brutalist buildings were in low income areas, and were moderately out of repair, but still functional in a sense that made me feel like "This is good enough for *you*". They were often the building I'd go to with my parents while they looked for work or unemployment, or public areas like libraries which never got decent funding. Visually their unfinished and raw aesthetics said "You haven't earned a coat of paint or windows" and "This building is unimportant because the people it serves are unimportant" as they slowly decayed for the 40+ years since their prime.

To my eye, Brutalist-style buildings work best when there's a lot of vegetation around or on it, as on their own they become harsh and oppressing, but when mixed with plant life they feel much less dominating.

Every single building I saw in this video looks like a super villains hide out

4:36 The fact that you can use a library to shoot a convincing scene that’s supposed to take place in a prison says a lot about Brutalism

In Egypt, there's an entire university made with this style , on a very large piece of land , in a very dry place with too much sunlight , I don't know what they were thinking when they built it but it looks like it was built to keep students away

When you're attending the University of Toronto, Robarts is the least of your worries regarding things being too brutal.

Not once did I ever think a Brutalist building was good looking. They have always looked like a fortress for an occupying army.

I think Brutalism's true problem is how awful the buildings look when they're dirty.

There's this huge brutalist social housing complex in my city. It's called "Ihme Zentrum" and nobody likes it. Many have argued over deconstructing it and a local politician even once said: "If you don't like to see the Ihme Zentrum, live inside it"

I like the dichotomy you pointed out between gothic with horror/beauty. Because brutalist buildings are some of the rare architectural feats that actually inspire a genuine emotion in me. And i dont think the only valuable emotion is a cliche and naive happy positivity. I kind of like the existentialist and dystopian vibes they give off. Certainly more interesting to look at than the thousandth shiny and curvy "modernist" building.

There are two types of Brutalist: the philosophical, social sensitive works of art; but also cheap, poorly designed cages. The latter caused the hate and is why we are in danger of losing the former. But preserving the latter by mistaking it for the former will be worse. The examples you have are big, expensive projects in national cities. They were sensitive to their environment and designed with care for human use/habitation/interaction. But many brutalist buildings copied the look and ease of construction without care for their human impact. I lived near a brutalist bus-station and council-estate which was the mouth of hell! From simple things like ventilation and drainage (surely a basic design parameter) to more difficult/nuanced like social space and public safety (shadowy twisty walkways, only open space was traffic, isolated corners). The place stank of diesel fumes and piss and you never went anywhere without a torch and a buddy. But it's so frustrating because this style, done right, can be so good. Like the Barbican in London or "l'habitation" in Marseille

I grew up in a Brutalist city, almost everything was Brutalist. Right now I live in a city where a Corbusier exists, but not much more. Ignoring the ideology and history (which is used by so many to talk about it), let me tell you how it felt to a kid. You grow up in a place where everything is grey except the trees, all the buildings feel unfinished, they look threatening, and darkness (not so much windows) is usual inside. Society is crumbling around you, nobody knows what's next and wars seem to start daily, one 50 km away, all the values which this architecture meant are dead or dying. The opiates industry has went out of control and heroine is on all the corners, in all the kid's playgrounds you find used syringes, you can't play. The addicts are dying every week in the corners of these buildings, they hide in the dark corners, corners which are there for style rather then purpose. You dream of colors, you wish for them, you watch soap operas if you have no hope, or science fiction if you do. You wait for it to pass! From that childhood I miss the trees, now I live in a place with all the baroque and old buildings you could want, but they have no trees and not enough parks. So, moral, the trees made all the difference, and when I visit a Brutalist building today, I get a homesick feeling for my childhood, I remember my parents workplace, my kindergarten, my schools but mostly I miss the trees and the green areas. The green of leaves is the color that made my Brutalist city memorable, not the cement or the populist ideology.

I lived in Toronto and studided sooo many times at the Robarts Library. This video brings so many nice memories. Brutalist buildings have always intrigued me, and I don't even understand if I like them or not! Brutalism is a really interesting type of architecture, that's for sure...

I walk by Boston city hall everyday and I always think "damn that's outta place"

So Brutalist Architecture for Dystopia and Gothic for Horror; are there other Architecture types associated with film genres?

Odd that you didn't mention their association with a feeling of oppression. Brazil doesn't use them as a sign of dystopia per say but more as an emblem for the rampant bureaucracy that plagues society and drives the plot. They are immovable and block your ability to gain perspective, leaving everyone in the film acting with short-sighted adherence to over complicated protocols which are of no help to anyone.

Whenever I pass a brutalist building I feel like it wants to punch me in the face.

"Rather than an uncommitted abstract structure that could be any place." Funny, because that's exactly what I would call these buildings. An abstract set of shapes made of bare concrete, at best neglecting but often (and worse) rejecting the surrounding culture and sensibilities for the sake of making some abstract and pretentious artistic statement.

Yeah, you should also talk about what was actually destroyed to make space for these buildings, especially in Europe. For a lot of people that was the issue.

One underappreciated factor in brutalist architecture's appeal is that it emphasizes the geometry of where you stand. A lot of buildings can feel fake, like their facade is just a 2D painting in a 3D world and it feels like there's no adventure in them. Brutalist architecture sheds anything 2 dimensional and focuses on the feeling of standing in a geometry. It's not something that should be undervalued.

Better than the all glass, rounded, white and blue modern buildings, that usually come with a modern "art" sculpture like some twisted metal shit or a plain metal sphere.

Brutalist architecture and plant life go so well together Brutalist architecture is one of the things I use to calm down after a panic attack. It feels reassuring and safe.

In Montevideo, Uruguay, we have the USA Embassy that is just and entire block of grey concrete and that it's horrible to see. But we also have the Russian Embassy that is an old building and you need to see it, it's very beautiful. Sorry for my bad English.

I would associate many of these buildings with multi-storey​ car parks.

Love from a fellow Torontonian! Thanks for making this video (and featuring so many well known/well loved places!)... I used to hate, I mean completely abhor, brutalist architecture. I found it grey, oppressive, ugly and, well, brutal! However, on a trip to London, UK a while ago, I had reason to spend some time in the Barbican complex, the public spaces, the theatre and one of the gorgeous apartments... I was smitten! The incredible integrity of material, the solidity of the building and the simple grandeur of the open spaces (not to mention the gorgeous variety of textures that can be accomplished with concrete) absolutely won me over. Simple fabrics also look rich and sumptuous juxtaposed with the hard surfaces and angles, really very beautiful. Since returning home, almost all brutalist spaces have been captured in this new, magical light for me. I have to say, that if I were building a home for myself, it most definitely would have some serious brutalist leanings! Thanks for making this video and giving some background and context to this under-appreciated architectural movement!

I like how they exposed the internal structure of the building instead of trying to cover it up. The raw, articulate form and design

Oh wow we have this kind of architecture in Surabaya called Intiland Tower, but they pained it white so it looked like a cruise ship with plants hanging down from the balconies.

For those wondering, yes - "Trono" is the correct way to pronounce "Toronto." ;)

"risk of brutalist buildings being demolished" Oh no that sucks.

Lol as a current student at the University of Toronto, both my friends and I found the brutalist buildings to be quite depressing… especially when the skies are cloudy in most part of the summer, and the days are dark in winter months…

Maybe brutalism was initially built as a democratic and anti-bourgeois style, but today it is associated with heavy bureaucracy and heavy impersonal institutions alienating peoples thoughts an freedom. There is some raw beauty in some of these buildings, but they have aged horribly as they often didn’t considered the needs, aspirations and mental sanity of the people working or living in their vicinity. Over towering towers of heavy concrete, unadapted to the numeric world and inhabited by hoards of bureaucrats is the perfect image for any dystopia.

Without Brutalist architecture Parkour and skateboarding as we know it wouldn't exist

One way I've learned to appreciate brutalist buildings is some of them remind me of natural stone features such as cliffs and caves.

Ah, my favourite but frequently maligned brutalism. I appreciate the style as you do, and see it for what it was intended to be. It has an almost cold beauty that is somehow still connected to nature through raw materials and natural colours. When executed well, brutalism can be really spectacular.

I think there's a stoic beauty in brutalism. Not everything has to be superficially gorgeous for it to hold meaning. My school was built in the brutalit style and I adore it.

They were going for egalitarianism and democracy??? Buildings like that always make me think of authoritarianism and oppression😂

My favorite brutalist building is anyone that has been demolished and replaced by something half-decent

A good salesman can make a case for anything, apparently even for brutalism.

I actually really like some brutalist buildings, some of them almost look like something out of a science fiction film and I'm also a fan of the minimalist simple style, but they really need to be cleaned/maintained because they look horrible when they're dirty. The old Library in my city which was knocked down a couple years ago (1:34) actually looked pretty dope in terms of it's shape and design but it was just filthy and gross looking by the end.

you should change your microphone settings or speaking techniques. your voice is distorted on high pitches which makes it a bit painful to listen

I think the thing i like about Brutalism the most typically when it comes to concrete is how the structures look over time, weathered and dirty. There is something oddly more natural and comforting about a building openly showing its age instead of trying to hide it under layers of paint. In a way to me it makes these kinds of buildings feel more safe since its almost like showing off that the elements are not a concern and that it doesn't need to hide that age because the building itself almost has an air of confidence that many other kinds of structures simply don't have

Oh wow, I never considered that. I have always found flat, minimally windowed buildings to be ugly. I thought "why would they make that?". Where I lived, we had a lot of buildings that had a similar style. As a gothic teen, I loved the artistry of the ornate details of older buildings. The way you explained the architecture of Brutalism, it makes me appreciate them more. Thanks!

There are beautiful brutalist buildings and there are really ugly boring brutalist buildings, it has more to do with the architect than with the style

I grew up in Milwaukee where 90% of buildings are brutalist and I don't like it. I think it depends on where you live though. In a city that's ghetto and has high-crime (i.e. MKE) brutalism just adds to the depressing atmosphere.

Brutalism = egalitarian. Make everyone equally miserable.

great job putting in all those sources!

If I ever build a labor camp I know what style I'm choosing

My first awareness of Brutalism was the Hotel Bonaventure in Montreal, where my family stayed when we went to Expo '67. Some of the interior walls had the very typical Brutalist touch of vertical ribs which had been intentionally chipped. The contrast of this raw, rough concrete with the orange carpeting that bordered it on the floor was quite striking to me at the age of 13.

Thank you for giving more insight into the Boston City Hall and plaza. I hae worked and walked by this plaza for years and never understood why it looked like that. It really stood out and didn't make sense to me. This clears up a lot of fog i had towards it. Thank you, enjoy the videos you do.

I just stumbled upon your channel and I’m absolutely loving your videos! They are very informative

Brilliantly compiled! Thank you for this.

I really love the interiors of a lot of brutalist buildings most of all, like 3:48. There's something really cozy and protective about a lot of them.

i dont care about "sculptural form", I care about getting in sunlight and not feeling like i'm in some prison

HOPE THAT YOUR KZfaq CHANNEL CONTINUES!!!

RIP Birmingham central

The best Brutalist architecture I’ve seen is the Gulbenkian Museum office building in Lisbon. The stark Brutalism is contrasted with, and complemented by, overhanging foliage. Raw concrete looks excellent juxtaposed with plants - together their look connotes ruin (sometimes postapocalytic), and is therefore inherently tranquilizing.

Love your videos! Keep up the good work! Brutalist buildings have a unique sense to them; they have an identity. Unfortunately, as you have mentioned, many buildings are on the verge of being demolished. I believe the public/municipal brutalist buildings are worth keeping. Residential buildings are truly an eye-sore

Great video! Part two could include more buildings from Brazil. Oscar Niemeyer wasn't an overtly Brutalist architect but some of his buildings fall into the category. Let's just consider the whole city of Brasilia and you'll find some Brutalist gems.

There's precisely one good looking brutalist building I know of, and it is the Dulles International Airport. The DC Metro is also pretty good, until you realise there's trash and rats scampering around the ditches they dug on either side of platforms. I don't know of any other brutalist buildings I like being around. Walking around the plazas surrounding the US Department of Health and Human Services buildings on a hot, muggy day to get some documents renewed has genuinely been one of the worst city-going experiences of my life. Even on a practical level, it's hard to tell where you're going, the pavement is hard and will soon cause your knees and ankles to ache, it heats up terribly in summers and gets very dirty after just a single rain. It is shocking how bone achingly horrible this stuff can be. Another example is the Hoover FBI building, which has this top floor that sticks out over the sidewalk, and for whatever reason the underside of that floor is always wet and dirty, and sometimes drips down onto passers by. To me, brutalism has always felt like one thing: bureaucracy.

Speaking about brutal, that sound record is just indigestible.

I love brutalism. The simplicity of it, no fancy schmancy stuff, just steel, bare concrete and geometry. If I was allowed to design a city it'd be a mix of behemoth brutalist architecture, just with loads of marble and Greek/Roman architecture with all of the open buildings, pillars and arches.

Thank you so much for this excellent video! Brutalist buildings were harshly criticised as soon as they appeared, hot on the heels of modernist buildings. I am tempted to say that brutalism evolved naturally from modernism, but there is no proof of its inevitability. Many buildings combine modernist and brutalist elements as defined by academic architects, so one should label them as “mostly modernist” or “mostly brutalist”. When people say they like a “modernist” or a “brutalist” building, you should ask which features they like. Sometimes people like a brutalist building for its modernist features, and vice versa! Many people do not know the difference between modernism, brutalism, and postmodernism, so when they claim to like one of these styles, they are not saying what they mean: they actually like a set of architectural features that might correspond with a recognised style, but probably doesn’t. In any case, many, or even most architects are keen to move away from the pure styles as defined by academics, because they restrict creativity and stand in the way of optimal solutions. Before I judge brutalism, I must tell you what I understand by it, and modernism. Modernist buildings are characterised by the use of reinforced concrete, plate glass, steel, and aluminium to create buildings with wide rooms and windows. They have thin reinforced concrete floors, which also permits cantilevered balconies, jetties, and rooms that project far from the side walls without being supported from above or below. However, many modernist buildings have floors perched high above the ground on amazingly thin reinforced concrete columns. Where balconies and jetties are impossible, a modernist building will often have glass curtain walls that are transparent and/or reflect the sky. Such features interrupt what would otherwise be big solid blocks. You can often see parts of the background between, or even through the structure of a modernist building. In many modernist buildings “inside” and “outside” are blurred; open-plan areas extend through large plate glass sliding doors onto balconies and platforms, there may be big skylights and/or courtyards, and flat roofs may have sundecks, barbecues, and even swimming pools. Natural light streams into a modernist building. If it seems to you that the architect has tried to make a building look light and airy, it is probably modernist. (Curved walls also appear in modernism, although their use is much more marked in post-modernism.) Buildings that display three types of modernism to perfection are Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Falling Water”, Le Corbusier’s “Villa Savoye”, and the “Seagram Building” of Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. All schools of architecture use these as examples for their students. Modernist buildings have two big problems: many are difficult and expensive to heat in winter, and builders construct their flat roofs without the slight gradients requested by the architects, so that rainwater pools and seeps down into the building. It is also true that some architects push the characteristic elegance of modernism into minimalism, and their great desire to remove clutter results in attractive buildings that are not functional, and which can even be unsafe, e.g. due to a lack of balustrades and banisters, or overstressed concrete. (Read about the problems of “Falling Water” - they are common in modernist buildings.) The open architectural style can also make it difficult to provide privacy, e.g. in a modernist housing complex. Modernist buildings are happiest on sunny, stable slopes in Mediterranean climates. And now for brutalist buildings. Much of their surface area is raw concrete, pebbledash, or chipped stone. The windows are often small and resemble dark holes when seen from the outside. Many brutalist buildings seem to squat heavily on the ground. The edge of a brutalist building is not broken up by spaces to the extent seen in a modernist building. Brutalist buildings absorb and block sunlight as opposed to letting it shine through, or reflecting it. Internally, there is a huge emphasis on functionality. They require much artificial lighting. So why would anyone want a brutalist building? If you are living in a place with long, cold, dark winters, you will be spending almost all your time indoors. A dark exterior helps to absorb rather than reflect what little sunlight there is, thick walls and small windows conserve heat, and the lack of natural light doesn’t matter, because you will need artificial light, even between sunrise and sunset. People tend not to go outside for short breaks if they must put on thick clothes and boots, so the building must be very easy to live in - it must be completely functional. Brutalist buildings are happiest in places with cold winters having long, dark nights. The exteriors of brutalist buildings remind many people of grim castles and prisons, but they truly ought to be judged on their interiors, which are of overriding importance. The big problems of brutalism are the difficult of integrating such buildings into natural environments without dominating and/or degrading them, and the demoralising effect of their prison-like exteriors, which can even exacerbate depression and antisocial behaviour. For this reason, many architects design buildings for cold climates that are essentially brutalist, but which incorporate features of modernism that “soften” the building. You will often see much use of light-coloured wooden floors, ceilings, and panels in brutalist buildings, as they bring the natural world and warmth into what would otherwise be unacceptably cold, hard, and austere. Natural wood surfaces are aligned with brutalism. Light coloured exterior cladding is also very common. Aesthetically I much prefer modernism to brutalism, (which is typical), but if I lived in a cold, dark climate, where I spent many hours indoors, I think brutalism would be the winner! And one must also bear in mind hybrid and evolved forms. Pure naturalism has never evolved beyond a tiny niche, but “organic modernism” - in which architects design modernist buildings to accommodate plant and animal life ab initio, is booming. Some of the deconstructionist (or unconstructionist) forms of postmodernism are too glitzy and clever-clever for my taste: rhinestones designed by architects to show off their own talents and/or the wealth of their clients. A complex, interesting, or even fascinating building is not necessarily beautiful and/or functional, but merely an exercise in intellectual conceit and self-aggrandisement. A rather simple and humble house can be both beautiful and functional. It is a good to think about how people will view a building 100 years in the future!

I usuallly just think of the buildings that look like bunkers or prisons, theae ones look amazing.

i cant say i find brutalist architecture pleasing to look at, but it does have a really powerful presence and its practicality is admirable. i love the architecture in blade runner and brazil and many other dystopian films, not in a sense that id like to live in or around one, but that it conplements the style of the film and often becomes part of its overall art. i didnt know brutalism was its name. thanks!

Subscribed and enjoyed - There's one thing more brutal than Brutalism - the gain setting on your microphone on this upload :)

There are 2 brutalist landmarks in my city. The thing is, those buildings are only hated by people who have to look at it. But they are loved by people who live in it. Those structures are offering opportunities, nowhere else found in this city.

This super distorted audio makes me feel like I'm watching a bad ytp

YEAH THAT MIC QUALITY IS BRUTAL

I grew up in Boston and frequently admired city hall as a child. It always felt like a staple in the history and reputation of Boston. It’s boldness felt unmistakable and iconic, like Boston couldn’t be the same without it.

I love this style compared with typical modernism of today. One reason why concrete is less used is because it is not environmentally friendly so instead we end up with cheap reuseable materials or glass. I have the sense that many architects have the traditional modernism in mind and then have to make all sorts of compromises. 50 years ago they probably had fewer restrictions.

The examples given in this video are beautiful and have a unique feel to them. The problem with brutalist style was it's function. Most of them were postwar social projects used for storing people in. It symbolised the bait and switch of a dream people were sold but never happened. Watching the AfE tower in Frankfurt being demolished was so satisfying.

Terrific overview. Captures my own feelings about Brutalism very well. In Trenton, New Jersey, near where I grew up, there are a number of smaller-scale Brutalist public buildings; as a result of my early childhood experiences with these buildings, I’ve come to associate Brutalism with a sense of both stability and visual interest, as well as with civic life - just as the architects intended. For me, these buildings are both reassuring and stimulating, and they affirm and support the reality of "the public," of public life. (In fact, I’ve long felt that an alternative name for this style of architecture could be “civic modernism.”) Thanks for this really nice piece.

personally its my favorite type architecture, it reminds me a lot of the cyberpunk feel and i love how sturdy they look.

I live very close to Robart’s. Thanks for increasing my appreciation of brutalism-great channel!

It was even used on my favorite films... I'm completely in love with brutalism.

Brutalism on a low budget, turns into sensory deprivation! Everybody living and working in grey boxes and bunkers. It's like living in the architectural equivalent of arid terrain. Uninviting, abrasive surfaces. It's somewhat worth a note that it accompanied terribly oppressive ideologies, and that is more than I need for Not wanting to defend it.

I grew up on the University of Chicago campus and a building that always stood out was the Regenstien Library. This video helped connect so many dots!

Every single picture featured here is an affront to human eyes

You make a good case, but to me brutalism seems to represent the removal of humanity from our living and working spaces. It replaces beautiful, ornamental styles with cold hard functionality and makes the inhabitant (and passersby) feel oppressed. For example, if you browse r/urbanhell I think it's no coincidence that the top posts that aren't shantytowns are usually brutalist/modern architecture. The facade of the building should be important because looking at and approaching the building as well as the building's influence on the surroundings it is built in are highly important to our urban space. To me it doesn't represent bourgeois ostentatiousness but rather a celebration of history and culture, and the standards of beauty that unite us.

I adore brutalist buildings. It's like exploring a mountain rock formation when I'm in them. I hope we see a second wave of brutalist architecture. Give it a modern refresh which includes sleeker and lighter forms.

Brutalist architecture doesn’t have to be all ugly, it’s important to always remember to have balance in a thing and you could never have too much of a certain philosophy endorsed into the whole concept of a building. I personally thought Louis Kahn’s architectural style is a good balance between the monumental brutalist style and modern architectural principle and I especially adore Salk Institute. It really depends on the architect himself or herself, how he or she interprets a certain philosophy, and to what extent they use it.

That building at 0:46 is a couple km from my place and I pretty much grew up there. Its a beautiful, inviting and wonderful place in a city that can be harsh at times. Check it out, its called Sesc Pompeia and the project is awesome.

small windows definitely dystopia

While there might well have been a sense that Brutalism was egalitarian and "for the people", in fact a great many corporate buildings and banks used the style as well, and these were obvious symbols of the elite and moneyed. The offices of the extremely wealthy title character in 1968's "Thomas Crown Affair" were high Brutalist, as just one example.

Makati City in the Philippines has so many Brutalist buildings, some of which are at risk of getting demolished.

These buildings look so amazing. Definitely one of my favorite styles of architecture.

Brutalist architecture is very effective in that it threatens individuals to be passive.

art is a highly subjective matter. that's why the the vast majority of displays of art are located in places where you have to make a conscious choice to enter in order to experience, like a museum for example. using huge unavoidable sights like buildings as artistic statement is simply inconsiderate.

Thank you for the clear and concise video! I for one like this architecture on public buildings because it shows how strong our institutions are

This was really wonderful -- thank you! I will share this with my colleagues, who, like I, guide architecture tours in Boston with @Boston By Foot. One point: at about 1:30 you identify Kallmann, McKinnell and Knowles as the architects of Boston City Hall Plaza. Not so, they only did Boston City Hall. The lead architect for the project, including the layout of the plaza, was I.M. Pei. The building shown in the rearground of the photo at 1:30 is the JFK Federal Building by The Architects Collaborative, a Cambridge, Massachusetts firm led by Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius.

Re-watching this, I remembered that I used to play on what could best be described as a brutalist playground as a kid. There were a lot of rough concrete columns and blocks, some not really connected to any of the play structures, with the occasional metal slides or bars. I kinda loved how weird it was as a kid; it felt like exploring ancient Egyptian ruins. I also scraped up my back pretty badly getting down from one of those columns. So I'm glad they ultimately did demolish it for a more kid-friendly playground in that same park.

So much is about context. University libraries usually work for me in this style: the style implies intellectualism over comfort and a scale larger than the individual (e.g. Knowledge). Boston city hall seemed to me quite uncouth in a city that is largely on a walkable scale

The brutalist architecture reminds me of the bunkers, so gray so gloomy, without details, or the stone buildings in minecraft

first of all thank you for including the genex tower in serbia, and secondly id just like to say this video is very well designed, its informative and overall amazing, thank you❤️

That a social sciences library is housed in a big brutalist building. That is so... Fitting.

i guess if you make institutions and government structures brutalist" you don't have to worry about riots and can really give off an inviting disposition to the public. these are basically defensive structures codified into architecture" by intellectuals. its inception may not have been for social control and A-bomb resistance but that's why it flourished. these buildings are political statements and as such should be subject to the political wind.

The Whitney is an absolute adventure. The exterior is an excellent prelude and the interior is beautiful and enhances the galleries.

I grew up in Eastern Europe and was surrounded by brutalist architecture, as the Soviets had a thing for it too. As a small child they disturbed me but as time went on I grew to appreciate them both aesthetically and what they stood for. They stand tall as monuments of departed grandeur, of an era where everyone's eyes were wide open and fixated on the future, building an ideal that disappointingly never came to pass. In contrast to the newer, more advanced, yet insufferably unremarkable buildings the brutalist ones represent human triumph and human folly at the same time.