In Portugal, the Varosa dam was built on a small tributary of the Douro River. The concrete vault is best known for its impressive staircase built in terraces, allowing the natural rock and the structure of the dam to merge.
Casa Carvajal, a Brutalist House on a Slope
After a successful first part of his career the Spanish architect Javier Carvajal built the Casa Carvajal for his family. This 1000m² house made of rough concrete is remarkable for its spatial articulation and its adaptation to the surrounding environment.
Giuseppe Davanzo, Foro Boario di Padova
The Foro Boario is a livestock market built in the mid-60s in Padova, Italia. Its ingenious design built in prefabricated concrete modules did not find its place in the unbridled context of an expanding city.
The Round House in Moscow
The Moscow round house (or Bublik) was built in a difficult context of housing crisis in the USSR. The circular shape makes it an example of Khrushchyovka structure, different from the standardized and monotonous buildings of that time.
Espai Verd, A Vegetal Urban Cathedral
The Espai Verd is a modular housing complex built in Valencia following a reflection combining vegetation and community. This example of bio-climatic architecture deals with many environmental issues in a hybrid building with a forest backbone spreading throughout the spaces.
The Brion Cemetery, Carlo Scarpa
North of Venice, Carlo Scarpa built a private mausoleum for the Brion family, a synthesis of his architectural work and his capacity for constructive invention. A manifesto project where concrete allows the sculpting of forms and decorative elements conducive to meditation.
A Future City From The Past, Clemens Gritl
In the series A Future City From The Past, Clemens Gritl builds concrete buildings inspired by the dystopian universe of J.G Ballard. These brutalist megastructures explore the influence of monumental architecture on a society and its human beings.
The Higüey Basilica, a Brutalist Cathedral in the Caribbean
After the Second World War an international competition was launched to build a basilica in the city of Higüey in the Dominican Republic. This city, which then had barely 10,000 inhabitants, saw the emergence of a monumental concrete cathedral at a time when its growing economic importance was just beginning.
Kenzo Tange, Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium
For the 1964 Olympic Games, Japan invested huge amounts of capital in the construction of sports infrastructures. The architecture of the sports buildings gave the image of a modern nation, developed and more powerful than ever. The gymnasium architecture of Kenzo Tange can be considered as a manifesto of the modern Japanese architecture that revealed itself to the world during the Olympic Games.
Velsertunnel Ventilation Building
The Velsertunnel ventilation building is an iconic building of the period of reconstruction in Netherlands. It is primarly recognized for its ventilation shafts, made of square concrete tubes, forming an alveoli structure. It was built by Dirk Roosenburg, a renowned architect also known to be Rem Koolhaas’s grandfather.