The Brutalist, the latest film directed by Brady Corbet, has taken over Polish cinemas, the desks of filmography portals and the minds of connoisseurs of good film productions. The core of the more than three-hour-long, monumental (the term fits here like nowhere else) work is, in keeping with the title, a brutalist project that László Tóth, a Hungarian architect of Jewish descent, is working to bring to fruition. It turns out, however, that we don't have to look for Brutalist architecture at all on cinema screens - many of us pass examples of such buildings every day. What exactly is Brutalist architecture and what are its native examples?
Geisel Library in San Diego - design: William L. Pereira & Associates
Photo: Westxtk © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
what is brutalist architecture?
Brutalist buildings do not have to be "brutalist" at all - in fact, it would be difficult to define such a building. In fact, the term originated in French, where the word brut means "crude." It was first used extensively in reference to architecture by Le Corbusier, who coined the term "concrete brut" when describing the pilotis of the Housing Unit in Marseille, on which he chose to leave the drawing of formwork forms used to pour concrete. Hence, probably, the widespread association of Brutalism precisely with concrete, although other materials were also readily used to erect Brutalist buildings. The idea of this trend was popularized by Reyner Banham, and was quickly picked up by architects and architects designing their buildings in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. What was Brutalist architecture like?
The Nova Stage of the National Theater in Prague
Photo: Thomas Ledl © CC BY SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
brutalist buildings
Brutalism is first and foremost sincere architecture, which is intended to expose its structure(structure, circulation routes, internal divisions or installations) and its materials. Aesthetic expression is achieved in it precisely by making the aforementioned, functional architectural elements visible, sculpting the form and directing attention to the building material used.
The roof of the Marseilles Unit - the surfaces show traces of concrete formwork
Photo: Karmekolle © public domain
Indeed, most often it was concrete, but other examples are not lacking - Peter and Alison Smithson, pioneers of Brutalism in architecture, crammed brick, unplastered walls into the steel frames of the Hunstanton School in Norfolk, Karl Prager lined the entire façade of the Nova Stage of the National Theater in Prague with massive luxaffers that shimmered with pale light in the evenings. And what did Brutalist architecture look like in Poland? Check it out in our review!
The Nova Stage of the National Theater in Prague
Photo: Thomas Ledl © CC BY SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
Katowice - the graveyard of brutalism
The city called the capital of brutalism is in fact its graveyard. There are times when Brutalist buildings are called Superjednostka, Spodek or Hapeerowiec, but the real examples of Katowice's Brutalism have long since disappeared from the face of the earth.
The former train station hall in Katowice
Photo: Lestat (Jan Mehlich) © CC BY SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
The first to go under the pick was Katowice Central Station. The building was completed in 1972 according to a design prepared by Wacław Kłyszewski, Jerzy Mokrzyński and Eugeniusz Wierzbicki. "Brutal of Katowice", as the new station was called, was characterized primarily by the unusual construction of the hall, which was covered with sixteen concrete cups several meters high. Arranged in two rows, they were to resemble a monstrous bus shelter, hidden behind sheets of glass facades. The rawness of the building was added by the elaboration of the reinforced concrete structure, or rather, its absence - the architects decided to leave the drawing of the formwork used to cast the ferro-concrete cups, which gave it an expressive texture.
Demolition of the Katowice Station hall, 2011.
Photo: Muchał Bulsa © public domain
Unfortunately, the career of the icon of Polish Brutalism did not last long - in 2010, after only 38 years of operation, the demolition of the station hall began, which was replaced in 2012 by an "imitation", erected according to the design of Sud Architectes. Better prevention than cure? Not in this case - the demise of Katowice's brutal was brought about primarily by failures to carry out regular maintenance and repair work. The escalators (watch out, Krakow train station!), ventilation or drainage systems quickly broke down. The neglect was enough for PKP to decide that a completely new building was necessary.
Silesian Scientific Institute in Katowice
Photo: Lestat (Jan Mehlich) © CC BY SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
The second characteristic building from under the sign of Katowice brutalism was the building of the Silesian Scientific Institute at 32 Graniczna Street, designed by Stanislaw Kwasniewicz. The monumental concrete block was a veritable temple of science. The silent, three-story edifice was supported by massive pillars, over which a strip window was stretched, topped by a blind tier of the third floor. Inside, four courtyards with spiral staircases were organized. The last brute, as the building was called, disappeared from the face of the earth in 2022, and in the future residential buildings will grow in its place. Today, instead, it is becoming the object of student reinterpretations, made possible by a meticulous inventory of the building, taken just before its demolition.
The Forum Hotel in Krakow
Photo: Fiedler © CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
Cracow - not only the Old Town
The City of Polish Kings, associated primarily with the Wawel Royal Castle, the well-preserved Old Town, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the picturesque Kazimierz district, is, as it turns out, thanks in part to the activities of the Institute of Architecture, full of outstanding examples of modernism. There is no shortage of Brutalist buildings among them as well.
The Forum Hotel in Krakow
Photo: Fiedler © CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
The most recognizable in Krakow is, of course, the Forum Hotel, designed by Janusz Ingarden and opened in 1988. At the time, it was one of the most modern hotels in the country - residents were served by computer, doors opened thanks to photocells, and water in the toilets was flushed automatically. The interiors were extremely beautiful, such as the luxurious Panorama restaurant, where the walls were dominated by mosaics by Krystyna Strachocka-Zgud, which are unfortunately already damaged. Everything was housed in a massive block, bent parallel to the bend of the Vistula River and set on pairs of pillars of monstrous size. The terraced facade on the Vistula side transforms into a set of stepped overhanging volumes on the other side of the building - one of the characteristic features of Brutalist architecture.
There are probably many greedy for the attractive plot of land where the Hotel is now located, but their temptations are stopped by the procedure for entering the building in the register of monuments, initiated just last year.
Bunkier Sztuki in Krakow
Photo: Zygmunt Put © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
Kraków's Bunker of Art, located by the Planty Park, is also often referred to as Brutalist. It was designed by Krystyna Tolloczko-Różyska as the Municipal Exhibition Pavilion, serving the Cracow Art Exhibition Office. The most characteristic element of the building is its unusual facade, facing the Cracow planty, covered with a relief designed by Stefan Borzęcki and Antoni Hajdecki. The entrance to the building is preceded by a concrete ramp with an expressively shaped gate.
Bunkier Sztuki Gallery in Krakow
Photo: Anna Gil © CC-BY SA 4.0
The building fits neatly into the historic fabric of the Old Town - despite its expressive facade, it has even been covered with an envelope roof with red tiles, and the block of a former granary has been built into its facade.
PKO building in Krakow
Photo: Igor123121 © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
A slightly less well-known, but also more debatable example of brutalism in Cracow is the PKO Bank building, rising at Kapelanka 1. Built in 1990, the building was designed by Nina Korecka, an architect who worked, among other things, on the construction of housing estates in Bieńczyce. The unusual bank was enclosed in a rotunda with sloping walls held together by powerful concrete pilasters. Just behind the "okrąglak" was a residential complex built on the plan of a quarter circle, which in a scenographic way closed the corner plot at the intersection of Kapelanka and Monte Cassino streets.
Uniwersus National Book House in Warsaw
Photo: Adrian Grycuk © CC BY-SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
Warsaw not so brutal
In Warsaw, the capital not only of the country, but also of Polish modernism, Brutalist buildings are scarce. Among the few realizations in this trend is certainly the Uniwersus building. "The National Book House," as it was originally called, served as a bookstore. The building, designed by Leszek Solonowicz in cooperation with Ryszard Lisiewicz and Arkadiusz Starski, basically consists of three blocks - a one-story, cuboidal base, a square block inscribed within it and a pavilion perched on top. Although the experimental building resembles a witch's hut on a crow's feet, this did not deter crowds of literature lovers, scientists and authors in its glory years. Following the example of the irrevocable Supersam, self-service booths offered a choice between fiction and specialized literature, and for music lovers there was a section with vinyl records. In addition, there were conference rooms, a café with a checkroom, and an art gallery.
The rotunda of the Racławicka Panorama
photo: Daniel.zolopa © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
Brutalist rotunda in Wroclaw
Unusual, even for a Brutalist architectural work, is the Rotunda of Panorama Raclawicka in Wroclaw. Located right next to Slowackiego Park, the building was erected according to the design of Ewa and Marek Dziekoński, who won a competition held in 1957. Equally a decade later, the pavilion was ready, but finally the canvas was placed there only in June 1985.
The rotunda of the Racławicka Panorama
Photo: Neo[EZN]fotopolska © CC BY SA 3.0 | Wikimedia Commons
In accordance with the interpretations of Brutalism, the rotunda's structure was exposed to the maximum - a concrete skeleton, consisting of columns clasping a reinforced concrete ring covering the entire building. Between them were prefabricated concrete wedges, whose surfaces were left raw. The whole is accompanied by a low entrance pavilion preceded by a gently rising staircase. According to Agata Gabiś, inside, in addition to a monumental work by Wojciech Kossak, space was provided for a mock-up and a waiting room, and the courtyard in front of the building was to serve as a summer cinema.
Cooperative Department Store "Central" in Lodz.
photo: Kacper Kępiński
brutal Central of Lodz
It so happened that most of the Brutalist buildings in Poland are horizontal colossuses. Against this background, the Cooperative Commercial House "Central" in Lodz, designed by Maciej Gintowt, Ewa Krasinska and Maciej Krasinski, definitely stands out. Completed in 1972, the building actually consists of two, completely different blocks - a low-rise commercial pavilion, and a contrasting 13-story office building. It is the skyscraper that is the most distinctive element of the composition here.
Although the body of the office building has diametrically opposed proportions, the designers have managed to maintain consistency in the composition of the facade, entrance area and finishes. The facades of the building are extremely regular, repetitive. Strips of slightly wider windows than in the commercial section punctuate the concrete face of the walls, with a slightly sparser vertical articulation than on the lower neighbor. The top of the building, in a slightly different color, is higher, and a neon sign with the name of the establishment has been installed above it.
- Kacper Kępinski wrote in the context of the planned redevelopment of the skyscraper.
Downtown Residential District in Lodz.
Photo: Chrumps © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
The buildings of Lodz's Manhattan, or Downtown Residential District, built according to a design developed by Mieczyslaw Sowa's team, are similarly vertical. The realization of the unusual premise, in turn, was handled by the team of Aleksander Zwierka, an architect employed by the Lodz Miastoprojekt. The uniqueness of the Lodz Manhattan consisted primarily in its inhuman scale - the blocks of flats, two of which reached a height of 78 meters, were one of the tallest residential buildings in Poland at the time.
Brutalist architecture in Poland - Manhattan in Lodz.
Photo: Piotr Iłowiec © CC BY-SA 2.0 | Wikimedia Commons
All this in an innovative, for the time, sliding structure, which allowed the construction of such tall buildings under the prevailing technical limitations. Although today there are few raw concrete facades without insulation left, the WYC buildings once aroused admiration with their expressive threads of alternating or linearly placed balconies. Today, the Brutalist pedigree of Lodz's skyscrapers is recalled by pavilions overhanging their silhouettes, which housed utility and technical rooms.
The Olivia Hall in Gdansk
Photo: Deway © CC BY-SA 4.0 | Wikimedia Commons
The brutal Olivia of Gdansk
The aesthetics of the overhanging block continue with the last of the Brutalist buildings on our list. This is the Olivia Hall in Gdansk, whose expressive form is maintained by a structure designed by experts in breakneck engineering solutions - Stanislaw Kus, Maciej Krasinski and Maciej Gintowt. The opening of the indoor skating rink housed within it was inaugurated in 1972 with a figure skating show and a friendly field hockey match. Later, in addition to sporting events, it hosted concerts, conventions and conferences, including the first National Congress of the Solidarity Trade Union in 1981. Although over the years the structure of the concrete hall, which is designed to resemble a boat battling the waves, has become increasingly unstable, thanks to the renovation carried out in 2010, the Olivia Hall today is in no danger. The same can't be said of all Brutalist buildings in Poland these days.
