My own story about brutalist architecture: Faner Hall, home of the liberal arts at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and my home away from home for 5 years until I completed my Ph.D.
Unbearably hot in the summer, frigid as a meat locker in the winter, it was originally intended to be a building that could not be shut down by student protests. There are many doors in and out of the place, and it is shockingly Byzantine in its interior corridors and passageways. It has since come to stand as a monument to SIUC's wide spread disdain for anything and anyone associated with the humanities.
My colleague Thomas Alexander (since retired) joked when I first arrived that Faner was actually a WWII aircraft carrier that they'd towed in at night and then cemented into place. One could well believe it.
The complete absence of any kind of aesthetic -- the interior was the same dull gray as the outside -- people desperately covered the walls with posters or (when allowed) book cases. But as the furniture was uniformly low end Steelcase, the book cases seldom added much in the way of charm.
The feeling of the place was that it was like a petri dish for depression. You'd find yourself staring at the ground or floor (depending on whether you outside or in) so as to avoid seeing the monstrosity.
I studied photos of that place while researching this article! It's godawful, innit? Like a metal ice cube tray tipped on its side. A "petri dish for depression." I can totally get why it ate at you.
I'm really grateful to you for having shown me those amazing buildings I had never seen before. I've never studied that movement so my impression is merely emotional and not related to any specific knowledge, but I like it. It could be because I love the look of cement, straight lines, pure surfaces but I think that in most of those buildings the architectural value is high (whatever it means... 😀) and they are a valid witness of the ability to deal with a huge amount of material.
Like so many things, great in theory, but in practice ... subject to all the vagaries of real life. There is comfort to be had in a straight line, however. Especially in these uncertain times.
Brutalist architecture has always amazed me, primarily from the standpoint that it seems to exist to remind us of our individual insignificance and that the collective- the state- is primary (something the Habsburgs also excelled at). The former Eastern bloc adopted brutalism with an abandon almost bordering on joy. Not only were some communist buildings unique, but they were also all designed to be built as cheaply as possible.
Brutalist buildings are some of the most poorly built and least efficient buildings you could ever hope to find, but there are those among them that you'll never forget.
My own story about brutalist architecture: Faner Hall, home of the liberal arts at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and my home away from home for 5 years until I completed my Ph.D.
https://live.staticflickr.com/8381/8669816726_51b6a07ecf_b.jpg
Unbearably hot in the summer, frigid as a meat locker in the winter, it was originally intended to be a building that could not be shut down by student protests. There are many doors in and out of the place, and it is shockingly Byzantine in its interior corridors and passageways. It has since come to stand as a monument to SIUC's wide spread disdain for anything and anyone associated with the humanities.
http://cdn.stateuniversity.com/assets/logos/images/1093/large_faner_hall.gif
My colleague Thomas Alexander (since retired) joked when I first arrived that Faner was actually a WWII aircraft carrier that they'd towed in at night and then cemented into place. One could well believe it.
https://cola.siu.edu/_common/images/banners/faner-banner-aerial.jpg
The complete absence of any kind of aesthetic -- the interior was the same dull gray as the outside -- people desperately covered the walls with posters or (when allowed) book cases. But as the furniture was uniformly low end Steelcase, the book cases seldom added much in the way of charm.
The feeling of the place was that it was like a petri dish for depression. You'd find yourself staring at the ground or floor (depending on whether you outside or in) so as to avoid seeing the monstrosity.
I studied photos of that place while researching this article! It's godawful, innit? Like a metal ice cube tray tipped on its side. A "petri dish for depression." I can totally get why it ate at you.
Gary…my oldest stepson went to SiU. I’ve seen WAY too much of Carbondale. 😝
I'm really grateful to you for having shown me those amazing buildings I had never seen before. I've never studied that movement so my impression is merely emotional and not related to any specific knowledge, but I like it. It could be because I love the look of cement, straight lines, pure surfaces but I think that in most of those buildings the architectural value is high (whatever it means... 😀) and they are a valid witness of the ability to deal with a huge amount of material.
Like so many things, great in theory, but in practice ... subject to all the vagaries of real life. There is comfort to be had in a straight line, however. Especially in these uncertain times.
Brutalist architecture has always amazed me, primarily from the standpoint that it seems to exist to remind us of our individual insignificance and that the collective- the state- is primary (something the Habsburgs also excelled at). The former Eastern bloc adopted brutalism with an abandon almost bordering on joy. Not only were some communist buildings unique, but they were also all designed to be built as cheaply as possible.
Brutalist buildings are some of the most poorly built and least efficient buildings you could ever hope to find, but there are those among them that you'll never forget.
The cool places you've been? You've seen a TON of brutalism. It's very enviable!