# Brutalism + Beauty = BEAUTALISM **URL:** \ **Category:** meta\ **Created:** [January 19, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326 "2023-01-19T19:54:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SMCYB](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/smcyb/32/71640_2.png) [@SMCYB](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/SMCYB)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/1 "2023-01-19T19:54:49Z")
I’m not a fan of Le Corbusier, but this man (who is inspired by him) adds elements of beauty to Brutalism. > **[Tadao Ando: The Japanese boxer turned Pritzker Prize winner who buried the...](https://www.cnn.com/style/article/tadao-ando-exhibition/index.html)** > > The boxer-turned-urban-guerrilla who graduated into a Pritzker prize-winning architect is having a retrospective at National Art Center Tokyo. ---
**Author:** ![TKDV](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/tkdv/32/83069_2.png) [@TKDV](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/TKDV)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/2 "2023-01-19T20:40:18Z")
I would argue that the vast majority of Tadao Ando’s work is not considered Brutalist Architecture and shouldn’t be considered that just because he uses concrete. Concrete itself is not what necessarily defines Brutalist architecture, its the forms, massing, and expression of the material that defines it, but also the time period because Brutalism was a movement, and while brutalist styled buildings are still built today, I wouldn’t classify most modern concrete based builds as being brutalist. Le Corbusier was indeed a major player in the Brutalist movement with other buildings eventually taking inspiration from his Unité d’Habitation de Marseille, but he also partook in the International style. Tadao Ando also took inspiration from Louis Kahn, who, while also having many concrete based buildings that were influenced by thw brutalist movement, did not necessarily design them in the brutalist style. ---
**Author:** ![5Bfilms](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/5bfilms/32/173622_2.png) [@5Bfilms](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/5Bfilms)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2023, 3:12am UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/3 "2023-01-20T03:12:36Z")
Le Corbusier all the way. > **[Church of the Light | Tadao Ando Architect & Associates](https://www.mooponto.com/architecture/church-of-the-light-tadao-ando-architect-associates/)** > > Church of the Light is a famous church by Tadao Ando with the two slotted openings behind the altar that form the shape of the cross and allow light in. > **[First Unitarian Church of Rochester by Louis Kahn: Infusion of culture and...](https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/case-studies/a6989-first-unitarian-church-of-rochester-by-louis-kahn-infusion-of-culture-and-creating-a-sense-of-place/)** > > The sanctuary of the First Unitarian Church mixes a modern design style with historic Unitarian beliefs to encourage the community and bring everyone together..... > **[Le Corbusier's Ronchamp chapel is one of his most important buildings](https://www.dezeen.com/2016/07/24/le-corbusier-notre-dame-du-haut-ronchamp-chapel-france-unesco-world-heritage-list/)** > > The Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut is next in our series on the 17 buildings by Le Corbusier that have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List ---
**Author:** ![SMCYB](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/smcyb/32/71640_2.png) [@SMCYB](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/SMCYB)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 2:06pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/4 "2023-11-12T14:06:09Z")
I hate Brutalism. Here’s an article. > **[Why everyone hates this concrete building](https://www.vox.com/videos/2023/11/7/23949175/concrete-brutalism-architecture-design-college)** > > And why brutalism dominates US college campuses. ---
**Author:** ![ALC11](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/alc11/32/81254_2.png) [@ALC11](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/ALC11)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/5 "2023-11-12T18:28:06Z")
Almost all the brutalist buildings used on college campuses and for similar institutional purposes (for example: Pace in NYC, the NYPD building by the Brooklyn Bridge) are ugly as sin. It’s hard to identify a Brutalist building that _isn’t_ ugly. These institutions should do everyone a favour and remove those heinous eyesores and replace them with more thoughtful and attractive edifices. ---
**Author:** ![Waymond\_Womano](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/waymond_womano/32/7078_2.png) [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/6 "2023-11-12T19:48:10Z")
With each passing year the likelihood of these brutalist piles coming down decreases. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/yimby/original/3X/4/6/4674b321587e5cfc0f766275eee2b6bf93947006.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Alemel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/alemel/32/91966_2.png) [@Alemel](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Alemel)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 9:50pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/7 "2025-01-27T21:50:27Z")
![Boston-City-Hall-05-2018](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/yimby/original/3X/4/d/4d63f91e135ee0012d2aa325351761c12699c19e.jpeg) [https://www.archpaper.com/2025/01/boston-city-hall-historic-landmark/](https://www.archpaper.com/2025/01/boston-city-hall-historic-landmark/) Arguably, one of the most hated buildings in Boston - is now a landmark… ---
**Author:** ![yesinmybackyard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/71e660/32.png) [@yesinmybackyard](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/yesinmybackyard)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 9:58pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/8 "2025-01-27T21:58:42Z")
it’s so good though ---
**Author:** ![Alemel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/alemel/32/91966_2.png) [@Alemel](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Alemel)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 10:11pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/9 "2025-01-27T22:11:02Z")
not everybody shares that opinion, though ![Screenshot 2025-01-27 at 5.10.12 PM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/yimby/original/3X/f/d/fdbc6f21fdfd4b32769e4f1e04f040da836468d4.png) [BOSTON.COM](https://www.boston.com/community/local-news/boston-readers-city-hall-ugliest-building/) ---
**Author:** ![chused](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@chused](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/chused)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 11:40pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/10 "2025-01-27T23:40:56Z")
As this style goes the Hirshhorn Museum in DC is not too bad. And the interior is actually pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![ALC11](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/alc11/32/81254_2.png) [@ALC11](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/ALC11)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 1:27am UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/11 "2025-01-28T01:27:25Z")
> [@yesinmybackyard](#): > > it’s so good though No it’s not. That thing is absolutely an eyesore and landmarking it is a crime that ensures it persists for eternity. There’s cool brutalism and then there’s ugly-as-sin brutalism. This one is in the “ugly-as-sin” category. ---
**Author:** ![5Bfilms](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/5bfilms/32/173622_2.png) [@5Bfilms](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/5Bfilms)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 5:24am UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/12 "2025-01-28T05:24:13Z")
Isn’t that like saying Henry Rollins is a bit too hardcore? ---
**Author:** ![chused](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@chused](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/chused)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 5:59pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/13 "2025-01-28T17:59:25Z")
ALC11–Glad to agree to disagree. That’s what makes attitudes about architecture interesting. I’ll add that I lived in DC for 35 years and went to the museum often. My feelings about it didn’t change over the long haul. Not a great building but not a terrible one either. ---
**Author:** ![Alemel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/alemel/32/91966_2.png) [@Alemel](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Alemel)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 6:49pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/14 "2025-01-28T18:49:59Z")
![hirshhorn-interior](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/yimby/original/3X/7/6/7658132446b299ad397c9e4a8317185b9d6e5e67.jpeg) > [@chused](#): > > the Hirshhorn Museum in DC That one has grace - something the Boston City Hall lacks, IMO ---
**Author:** ![chused](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@chused](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/chused)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 7:11pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/15 "2025-01-28T19:11:07Z")
If your initial critical comment was about Boston City Hall I don’t like that one either. The posting order led me to think you were thinking of the Hirshhorn. ---
**Author:** ![Alemel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/alemel/32/91966_2.png) [@Alemel](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Alemel)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 9:18pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/16 "2025-01-28T21:18:17Z")
Yeah - it was about the city hall in Boston - which I personally dislike. the Hirshhorn is not bad, the curves help to soften the look ---
**Author:** ![ALC11](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/alc11/32/81254_2.png) [@ALC11](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/ALC11)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 9:20pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/17 "2025-01-28T21:20:28Z")
I was being critical of Boston City Hall. The Hirshhorn is neat. I saw it in person before. ---
**Author:** ![SMCYB](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/smcyb/32/71640_2.png) [@SMCYB](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/SMCYB)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2025, 12:15am UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/18 "2025-01-29T00:15:38Z")
Ugh. It takes up so much space. You could put four cool skyscrapers in the space that monstrosity occupies. ---
**Author:** ![stache](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/stache/32/30186_2.png) [@stache](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/stache)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2025, 2:51pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/19 "2025-01-29T14:51:28Z")
> **[LINCOLN PLAZA TOWERS — NYC URBANISM](https://www.nycurbanism.com/brutalnyc/lincoln-plaza)** > > The thirty-story curvilinear tower designed by Horace Ginsbern & Associates is directly across the street from Lincoln Center for The Performing Arts. The beige concrete of the rounded columns… ---
**Author:** ![AntonioL](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.newyorkyimby.com/antoniol/32/139225_2.png) [@AntonioL](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/AntonioL)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2025, 9:34pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326/20 "2025-01-29T21:34:38Z")
I love brutalism. [Next page](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/brutalism-beauty-beautalism/22326.md?page=2)