Brutalism: The Poetry of Concrete Hashtag (topic) #architecture Nagłówek super artykułu Title on page in header Brutalism: The Poetry of Concrete Image or video betonowa_sciana_gettyimages-6.jpg Podpis dla multimediów Concrete wall, photo: Getty Images Header text color rgb(255, 255, 255) Enable audio for video Off Negative header audio button Wyłączony Negative side audio button Wyłączony Zawartość (treść strony Super Artykułu) Tekst Concrete – it is a building material consisting of a binder, an aggregate and water, the first two of which may be of different types and compositions. There are records saying that concrete was already used 9,000 years ago, which makes it the oldest building material in the history of mankind (brick is 4,000 years younger). The dome of the Pantheon, built in the 220s BCE, is made of concrete. Thanks to the fact that each subsequent circle from which it was composed contains a different, increasingly lighter aggregate, Roman architects managed to compose an impressive 43-metre-wide structure pierced at the top by an eight-metre-wide opening illuminating the interior – the oculus. The thickness of the concrete wall at the lowest level of the dome is seven meters, at the highest – only half a meter. Text size standard fonts size Tekst Concrete inventions Text size standard fonts size Podpis obrazka Reinforced concrete, photo: Getty Images Display image with no height limit Off Tekst Although ancient concrete obviously had a lot to offer, the real revolution was started by an invention made in 1824. It was then that a Brit called Joseph Aspdin patented so-called Portland cement, a binder of mineral origin which provided concrete with plasticity and at the same time enormous strength. To this day, Portland cement, i.e. a mixture of powdered gypsum and cement clinker (i.e. several raw materials of mineral origin, containing limestone and aluminosilicates), is the basic ingredient of concrete. It was this mixture that made it possible in the era of the industrial revolution to build huge factories, bridges and viaducts and later skyscrapers and brutalist buildings-sculptures. Text size standard fonts size Fullscreen gallery items Text On this occasion, it is worth mentioning that one of the important places on the concrete map of the world at that time was Będzin – it was here that the Grodziec Cement Plant, a Portland-cement factory, operated starting in 1857, the fifth plant of this type in the world. The material produced here was used to build the Warsaw-Vienna railway among others. The plant operated until 1979; after its closure, the cement factory buildings began to deteriorate, and today the large facility is in ruins. In February 2021, the Silesian Provincial Conservator of Monuments entered the remains of the factory into the register of historic monuments. Podpis obrazka Photo: Będzin Grodziec Cement Plant, 1934, photo: National Digital Archives NAC / https://audiovis.nac.gov.pl Text position left top Columns style left column static Left column The next stage in the development of the building material which changed architecture forever was an invention by a certain French gardener, Joseph Monier. Right column House construction, photo: Tomasz Meus / East News Columns style right column static Left column Bohdan Lachert, Bohdan Lachert’s house at 9 Katowicka Street, Warsaw, view from garden, 1972, Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences, photo: Witalis Wolny Right column Subsequent inventions and constant improvements in the composition of concrete were the basis for great changes in architecture. Tekst A cure for trauma Text size standard fonts size Tekst Everything changed after 1945. The drama and destruction brought on by World War II, as well as the social and political changes in its aftermath, did not leave architects indifferent. Many of them believed that pre-war modernism, despite its geometric simplicity, had become too stylized and had been created with an emphasis on aesthetics that was inappropriate in the face of tragic experiences. In other words, it was decided that purist, elegant white boxes were no longer appropriate for war-ravaged Europe. A group of architects came to the fore, proposing raw and expressive shapes without any decorations. Concrete was perfect for this. The new trend that began to develop in the mid-1950s quickly gained the name of brutalism. Text size standard fonts size Columns style left column static Left column Its most famous representatives were British architects Peter and Alison Smithson, who used rough grey concrete surfaces in public and office buildings, as well as residential ones, for which they became particularly famous. Right column A brutalist housing estate in Great Britain, Park Hill, Sheffield, photo: Paolo Margari / Wikimedia.org Tekst Le Corbusier, the Smithsons and many architects active at that time decided that architecture must be real – expressive in its honesty, weight, massiveness and solidity. They argued that the natural texture of building materials is a feature of the authenticity of the building and should not be hidden nor the viewer distracted from it by details and decorations. The austerity and uncompromising nature of the buildings, left ‘bare’, so to speak, corresponded to the mood of the post-war years. Text size standard fonts size Fullscreen gallery items Text The Royal National Theatre, a project by Denys Lasdun, was realized in 1976. The monumental building is located on the bank of the Thames in the city centre, and its austere yet majestic silhouette also offers a multifunctional public space; the concrete façades of this building are often the backdrop for outdoor cultural events. Podpis obrazka Royal National Theatre, London, photo: Saval / Wikimedia.org Text position left top Text Built in 1974-76 according to the design of Fritz Wotruba, the Church of the Holy Trinity in Vienna resembles not a building but a spectacular geometric structure straight from the world of art. It is easy to guess that its designer was not an architect but a sculptor. And the unique character of his work was also appreciated in another way: the building is commonly called after its author – Wotrubakirche. Podpis obrazka Church of the Holy Trinity, Vienna (Wotrubakirche), photo: Bwag / Wikimedia.org Text position left top Text The headquarters of the city government of Boston, Massachusetts, is a design by an American architect of German origin, Gerhard Kallmann. The building was built between 1963 and 1968 and is part of the trend visible in American architecture of giving the headquarters of local authorities very massive, expressive, even monumental forms. Podpis obrazka Boston City Hall, photo: Isaac Murray / Getty Images Text position left top Text The Monument House of the Communist Party of Bulgaria, built in 1981 on the top of Mount Buzludzha, is one of the extremely impressive objects combining architecture, sculpture, monumental art and landscape design, many of which were built in the countries of the Eastern Bloc, former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, but also the former Soviet republics in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. There, the very modern concrete structures were created to tower over their surroundings and delight viewers with both their scale and their form. The Monument House of the Communist Party of Bulgaria was designed by Georgy Stoilov. Podpis obrazka Monument House in Buzludzha, Communist Party of Bulgaria, photo: Mark Ahsmann / Wikimedia.org Text position left top Tekst In the concrete style Text size standard fonts size Tekst Although brutalism initially had a social and ideological basis, it quickly became a way to create edifices with an original, impressive appearance. It simply became fashionable because it offered new shapes and allowed formations that attracted attention with their massiveness and monumentality. This is why in the United States it was used particularly eagerly by architects designing the headquarters of local authorities and universities – heavy, monolithic concrete buildings evoked the respect and sense of security that was so desirable for important institutions in the post-war reality. Even though Poland was already behind the Iron Curtain and somewhat separated from the main architectural trends of the Western world, the expressiveness of concrete turned out to be an interesting and inspiring challenge for many architects. And just as in Great Britain or the USA, here also it had different faces, and there were various reasons for reaching for this aesthetic. It is difficult to define building with raw concrete in Poland as one coherent stylistic trend – sometimes prefabricated concrete elements were simply the only material that was at the disposal of architects, so they composed their shapes from them, but often they used brutalist style fully consciously. Text size standard fonts size Columns style left column static Left column The latter group certainly included the architect Marek Dziekoński, first associated with Wrocław and later with Tychy (often working as a pair with his wife, Ewa). Right column Mining Club Pavilion, Tychy, 1960s, photo: Zygmunt Kubski, collection of the Municipal Museum in Tychy / exhibition materials Concept-Creation-Contexts Columns style right column static Left column View of Municipal Exhibition Pavilion from Planty side, Bunkier Sztuki, 1960s, photo: Daniel Zawadzki, artist’s archive Right column Krystyna Tołłoczko-Różyska also consciously used concrete when she designed the headquarters of the art gallery at the Planty Park in Kraków in the first half of the 1960s. Columns style left column static Left column Distinction and marking the presence of a new building in an urban space were also the goals of Julian Duchowicz and Zygmunt Majerski when they designed the expressive shape of the Dramatyczny Theatre in Opole (today the Jan Kochanowski Theatre). Right column Dramatyczny Theatre in Opole (Jan Kochanowski Theatre), designed by Julian Duchowicz and Zygmunt Majerski, 1980s, photo: Longin Wawrynkiewicz / PAP Tekst To reflect the spirit of the era Text size standard fonts size Tekst In the 1960s in Poland, concrete structures were created sporadically on the drawing boards of very conscious architects or those seeking maximum authorial expression, while in the 1970s concrete became much more popular. This was partly due to the increasingly mass use of prefabricated concrete elements, but the use of raw material was also associated with changes in aesthetics: cool, rough concrete seemed to many architects to reflect the spirit of their times, when architects were looking for new means of expression in the face of, among other things, the increasingly far-reaching industrialization of construction resulting in buildings being deprived of individual features. Text size standard fonts size Fullscreen gallery items Text Jadwiga Grabowska-Hawrylak, the designer of the Wrocław residential area at Grunwaldzki Square, known as Manhattan, managed to break away from the uniform, monotonous rhythm of housing development of the 1970s. Here again, prefabricated elements were used, but they were tailored to this particular project. Podpis obrazka Residential & service complex at Grunwaldzki Square, 1969-75, photo: Zbigniew Nowak, 1974, collection: Ośrodek Pamięć i Przyszłość Text position left top Text The architect used industrially produced concrete ‘blocks’ with a characteristic rounded shape to create expressive shapes of residential skyscrapers. The raw expression of their chiaroscuro, three-dimensional facades have attracted attention in the centre of Wrocław for decades (today, the modernized blocks of flats have slightly lost their brutalist character because the facades of the houses have been painted white). Podpis obrazka Construction of skyscraper on Grunwaldzki Square, 1969-75 (design 1963-69), photo: Michał Brzoza Text position left top Text The expressive form and powerful character of a rather austere shape – this is also Janusz Ingarden’s idea for a new facility, located right on the bank of the Vistula in the centre of Kraków opposite Wawel Hill. The Forum Hotel, although currently abandoned and neglected, still attracts attention with its massive and at the same time dynamic silhouette, raised on pillars and dynamically shaped. Podpis obrazka Forum Hotel in Kraków, designed by Janusz Ingarden, photo: Tomasz Zurek / Inimage / Reporter / East News Text position left top Text Grey, monolithic, rough surfaces also appear in the building of the Central Department Store in Łódź. This is a design by Maciej Gintowt and Maciej Krasiński from 1972. The architects built a complex consisting of a tall office building and a horizontally shaped department store in the centre of the industrial city. Both structures were equipped with very austere facades, unfortunately now often covered with large-format advertisements. Podpis obrazka Central Department Store, Łódź, designed by Maciej Gintowt and Maciej Krasiński, photo: Cezary Słomiński / PAP Text position left top Text The authors of Central in Łódź were also behind the design of the impressive structure of the Olivia Arena in Gdańsk. Built of prefabricated reinforced concrete elements, it is supposed to resemble a sea wave or a fish, but its expression is not limited only to its soaring, dynamic shape. An equally important decision affecting the aesthetics was leaving its concrete façades uncovered. This building underwent a successful renovation in the 2000s that restored its original appearance. Podpis obrazka Olivia Arena in Gdańsk, photo: Marcin Czechowicz / PAP Text position left top Tekst Concrete has many faces Text size standard fonts size Columns style left column static Left column The rawness of concrete was applied – as it was in Łódź, Kraków or Gdańsk – to emphasize the presence of new shapes in the city space. Right column College of Polish Studies of the Jagiellonian University, Przegorzały near Kraków, designed by Tomasz Mańkowski, photo: Grzegorz Kozakiewicz / Forum Columns style right column static Left column Building of former Silesian Science Institute, Katowice, photo: Lestat (Jan Mehlich) / Wikimedia.org Right column The desire to be separated from the surroundings was also what guided Stanisław Kwaśniewicz, who designed the Katowice headquarters of the Silesian Science Institute. Columns style left column static Left column The Copernican Hall of the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin is a different story since it still serves its students. Right column Copernican Hall of the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, designed by Marian Rąbek, photo: Cezary Aszkiełowicz / AW Tekst Although the seemingly raw, cool structure of concrete is not associated with creating an atmosphere of calm and concentration, forms that are often brutalist in nature can also be found in sacral architecture. It is worth remembering that the post-war half-century is a very specific period for this type of architecture. Although the state authorities theoretically remained averse to any manifestations of religious life, permits were issued in moments of social unrest and crises to build churches in order to distract people’s attention from the political situation. The same thing made sacral architecture a space for a kind of rebellion – churches were designed in opposition to the state-supported norms and forms, so they were clearly distinguished from their surroundings. Text size standard fonts size Fullscreen gallery items Text Such was the Church of Divine Mercy in Kalisz, designed in the late 1950s by Jerzy Kuźmienko and Andrzej Fajans and built thirty years later. Here, the body of the church is made of an undulating, softly curved shell of almost white concrete. The building is not only an extremely aesthetically impressive implementation but also a great display of construction possibilities. Podpis obrazka Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, Kalisz, photo (CC BY-SA 4.0) Peżot / Wikimedia.org Text position left top Text Romuald Loegler, the designer of the Church of Blessed Jadwiga in Kraków, transformed the concrete shapes of the large residential estate surrounding the church in the fragmented body of the temple, ‘assembling’ the building from austere, minimalist, massive segments, either angular or rounded. Podpis obrazka Church of Blessed Jadwiga, Kraków, designed by Romuald Loegler, photo: Tomasz Wiech / Forum Text position left top Text Władysław Pieńkowski, the designer of several dozen shrines in which the architect was able to ‘wrap’ light and space in an extremely poetic way with surprisingly cool concrete elements, was also able to create an extraordinary atmosphere of the sacred using raw, concrete, prefabricated elements. Podpis obrazka Church of St. Dominika, Warsaw, designed by Władysław Pieńkowski, interior, photo: Adam Stępień /AW Text position left top Tekst Concrete of the 21st century Text size standard fonts size Tekst It might seem that brutalism is a style closely related to the realities of the first decades after World War II, the times of prefabrication. It turns out, however, that the rawness of this building material still inspires, and architects use concrete, achieving very diverse effects with it. Text size standard fonts size Fullscreen gallery items Text Gray concrete surfaces, as it turns out, can be an excellent setting for an intimate educational facility, as evidenced by the award-winning Kamień [Rock] Pavilion (designed by eM4.Pracownia Architektury.Brataniec), built in 2020 in Warsaw’s Golędzinów district. Podpis obrazka Kamień Educational Pavilion, Warsaw, designed by eM4.Pracownia Architektury.Brataniec, photo: Rafał Motyl / Zielony Fundusz dla Warszawy / http://zzw.waw.pl Text position left top Text Youth Sports and Education Centre in Nowa Huta designed by Wojciech Obtułowicz – this is another facility that, in addition to fulfilling the function for which it was created, was shaped as an impressive, geometric sculpture with expressive shapes and wall surfaces. Podpis obrazka Youth Sports and Education Centre, Nowa Huta, designed by Wojciech Obtułowicz, photo: Krzysztof Karolczyk / AW Text position left top Text Architects from the studio of Pysall.Ruge Architekten and Bartłomiej Kisielewski used concrete when designing the building of the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków. Here the grey, cool material turned out to be a perfect match for the theme of the facility. Podpis obrazka Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, designed by Pysall.Ruge Architekten and Bartłomiej Kisielewski, photo: Polish Aviation Museum / www.muzeumlotnictwa.pl Text position left top Text The situation is different in the case of the District Court building in Katowice (designed by Archistudio Studniarek + Pilinkiewicz) – here the austerity of the building material was combined with a very modest in form yet monumental shape, and both of these means of expression together created an atmosphere of seriousness and respect, which, after all, a building associated with justice should evoke. Podpis obrazka District Court in Katowice, designed by Archistudio Studniarek + Pilinkiewicz, photo: (CC BY-SA 4.0) Kinicz / Wikimedia.org Text position left top Text Bolesław Stelmach also likes to use various textures, colours and shades of concrete. In the case of the Lublin Science and Technology Park, smooth surfaces of raw materials were combined with a minimalist shape. In the partially underground administrative building of the Chancellery of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland in Warsaw, the concrete walls reveal a different face: they are rough, as if crushed, and have a very distinctive texture. Concrete walls with both smooth and porous surfaces also fill the cool, grey interiors of the Centre for the Meeting of Cultures in Lublin. Podpis obrazka Lublin Science and Technology Park, design by Stelmach i Partnerzy Biuro Architektoniczne, 2013, photo: Marcin Czechowicz Text position left top Columns style left column static Left column These last few have been eagerly used as film sets in recent years. Right column Still from '1983', directed by Agnieszka Holland, Kasia Adamik, Olga Chajdas & Agnieszka Smoczyńska, 2018, photo: Netflix Fullscreen gallery items Text Considered not very ‘cozy’, cold and raw, concrete in architecture has as many opponents as defenders. The latter have united in the international SOSBrutalism movement, which tries not only to gather knowledge about interesting brutalist works but also to defend these objects. Because many of them remain neglected today, some have simply been demolished. Concrete buildings are still often perceived negatively and thus disappear from our landscape. Meanwhile, they are an important record not only of a certain aesthetic but also of certain ideas and attitudes, proof of how architecture can reflect social and political moods. Podpis obrazka www.sosbrutalism.org Text position left top Tekst Translated by Michał Pelczar Text size standard fonts size More Super Articles Title The Silesian Museum: The Architecture of Identity URL https://culture.pl/en/interrupted-country/the-silesian-museum-the-architecture-… Thumbnail Image URLhttps://api.culture.pl/sites/default/files/2019-09/mapa_wyznaniowa_prus_gornego_slaska_i_polski_1904_polona.jpg Hashtag (topic) #architecture Title The World’s Her Home: Daring Polish Female Anthropologists From the Interwar Period URL https://culture.pl/en/superarticle/the-worlds-her-home-daring-polish-female-ant… Thumbnail Image URLhttps://api.culture.pl/sites/default/files/2023-11/agnes_img_4300.jpg Hashtag (topic) #heritage Title Witkacy's ‘Madness’: The Lost Manuscript of a Total Artist URL https://culture.pl/en/superarticle/witkacys-madness-the-lost-manuscript-of-a-to… Thumbnail Image URLhttps://api.culture.pl/sites/default/files/2019-08/witkiewicz_autoportrait.jpg Hashtag (topic) #heritage Title In Search of ‘The Messiah’: Bruno Schulz & His Detective URL https://culture.pl/en/interrupted-country/in-search-of-the-messiah-bruno-schulz… Thumbnail Image URLhttps://api.culture.pl/sites/default/files/2019-08/bruno_schulz_portret_szkic_we_forum.jpg Hashtag (topic) #heritage Introduction Some architects used raw concrete in looking for forms appropriate for post-war reality, others used this material to create sculptural shapes, and still others tried to gain respect with grey buildings. Concrete can have many faces. Not standard color version Off Series label Begin Cover Thumbnail size full width [1160px] Thumbnail betonowa_sciana_gettyimages-6.jpg
Image URLhttps://api.culture.pl/sites/default/files/2019-09/mapa_wyznaniowa_prus_gornego_slaska_i_polski_1904_polona.jpg