Concreteless Brutalism: In Praise of Exposed Materials

Abstract

Brutalist architecture emerged during the 1950s and remained prevalent throughout the following two decades, characterized by bold geometric forms and exposed construction. In 1955, Reyner Banham outlined the main principles of Brutalism, which interestingly did not exclusively focus on exposed concrete.

This study delves into post-WWII Brutalist architecture, specifically examining the aspect of exposed materials that go beyond concrete. This paper sheds light on a lesser-discussed subset of Brutalism, and coined it as "Concreteless Brutalism." The study explores the development of hidden and revealed construction schemes throughout history and discusses the influences and concepts related to exposed materials such as steel, bricks and wood. Additionally, the research highlights Mies van der Rohe's architecture during the 1950s-1960s as an example of Concreteless Brutalism. 

Keywords: Architecture, Brutalism, design, Concrete, Materials