Atlas of Brutalist Architecture: Classic format

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As Keating and I pace the streets, looking up at facades and peering down at details, the city centre unfolds as a patchwork of rare intrigue. We stop to admire the concertina frontage of House of Fraser, folded like sharply scored origami, and the undulating concrete canopy above a subway, punctured with cosmic circular lenses. We find handsome book-matched green slate panels over the entrance to Pandora, and fine mosaic-work above a Wagamama, next to an expressionist bronze relief over an unmarked door. This is the only book to thoroughly document the world's finest examples of Brutalist architecture."— Architectural Digest Online

Spaghetti Junction, the Ringway Centre, The Rotunda and Corporation Square all feature, alongside Brutalist buildings such Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the Ashley and Strathcona Buildings at Birmingham University, and Neville House on Harborne Road. News about our Dezeen Awards China programme, including entry deadlines and announcements. Plus occasional updates. Inside the library was a bit of a maze, bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside, but it managed to maintain a welcoming and cosy atmosphere that you'd want from your local library." Some of Birmingham’s lesser-known post-war churches are also featured, including St. Thomas More Church in Sheldon, St. Matthews Church Perry Beeches, and Our Lady Help of Christians in Tile Cross.Newcomers will discover the global influence of brutalism, that final age of civic architectural ambition; true believers can use it to prepare years of concrete–coated vacations.' – New York Times Although there is an abundance of office spaces in central Birmingham, I think this building is just so visually striking. Another example of a spaceship-like building that transcends the traditions that came before it. From 20th century masters to contemporary architects, much-loved masterpieces in the UK and USA sit alongside lesser-known examples in Europe, Asia, Australia, and beyond - 102 countries in all. In the end Calder’s main interest in the buildings is as fascinating objects of art history, updates of those churches and palaces with which he started. It makes the book an engaging and accessible guide for those drawn towards these ex-monstrosities, and for those who wonder what it’s all about. We encounter bulbous sci-fi windows bulging on the corner above the Admiral Casino Slots Experience, as if ready for lift-off, and marvel at the chiselled zigzag balconies that rise above a Snappy Snaps, writhing with wrought-iron balustrades like the work of some Brummie Gaudí.

The main attraction for Calder, as for other contemporary fans, is its boldness and passion. Like the architecture of Hawksmoor and Vanbrugh, or Victorians such as William Butterfield and the proud-to-be-ugly Samuel Sanders Teulon, it ran the gamut of emotions – fear and darkness as well as hope and light. It wanted to stir, move and provoke. Calder is also careful to point out that architects didn’t choose concrete because it was cheap or easy to use: it took craftsmanship, and money, to achieve the special textures and effects they wanted. Nor were they blind adherents to the new, but passionately interested in architectural history and the relationship of their work to it. It's very rare to see something so playful that hasn't been gatekept so I'm glad to hear that the mural has recently been given a listed status, which means it will be there for future generations to enjoy."The library was replaced by a load of cladding and glass tat – a piece of our heritage was lost for featureless rubbish Many of the buildings featured in the book continue to be under threat, but Sutton believes it is important that they are preserved. When viewed from one of the top floors in the adjacent buildings, however, you can appreciate the magnitude of Tricorn House. It looks like it could take off any moment with flames trailing behind it." Birmingham: The Brutiful Years puts the spotlight on the city’s often under-appreciated post-war architecture, with striking images alongside essays on some of Birmingham’s most iconic locations, as well as some of its lesser-known modernist gems.

Despite how much the buildings around The Rep have changed, it still remains coherent in the landscape and retains its own charm. It's something we never really think about as it's one of those buildings that are 'a part of the furniture', which is partly owed to the fact that it caters to such a diverse audience and is accessible to everyone." Daily updates on the latest design and architecture vacancies advertised on Dezeen Jobs. Plus occasional news. Dezeen Jobs WeeklyNews about our Dezeen Awards programme, including entry deadlines and announcements. Plus occasional updates. Dezeen Events Guide This upside-down-wedding-cake of a building appeared to defy gravity when viewed from one angle – as if it should fall forward somehow. The windows were strategically placed as strips beneath each layer, seemingly non-existent from the outside. Elain Harwood is a historian with Historic England, and author of Space Hope and Brutalism, England’s Post-War Listed Buildings and Art Deco Britain. She gives lectures and leads tours for the C20 Society, and has published Chamberlin, Powell and Bon in association with them, HE and the RIBA, and 100 Buildings/Houses/Churches/Landscapes, 100Years in association with Batsford. She lives in London. Although clearly focusing on Brutalism there are many examples which could also fall under Metabolist, Biomorphic, Deconstructivist, Art Deco, Neo-Constructivist, and many other sub-genres of architecture. I had no idea how many examples of Brutalism that the likes of I.M. Pei, Louis Khan, Minoru Yamasaki and Eero Saarinen were responsible for in their career. This is the only book to thoroughly document the world's finest examples of Brutalist architecture.' – Architectural Digest