Raw Concrete : The Beauty of Brutalism /anglais

Beautiful, lyrical writing, with superb personal accounts of encounters with a range of the UK’s maligned, and now favoured buildings.I learnt a tremendous amount from this book.

Very pleased

Having attended one of Barnabas' talks at my local Modernist Society I was inspired to purchase his book and I was not disappointed.Though I went into the book already appreciating Brutalist architecture - Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation and the Barbican are among my favourite places on earth - I learnt so much from the experience. The chapter on the University of Leicester engineering building and College Hall was a selfishly personal highlight - as a Leicester alumn who regularly visited College Hall during my time at the University I was fascinated by this chapter. Though the discussions of all of the subjects in the book are interesting and accessible to all.The book is written with obvious expertise and love of the subject matter, and though I have no architectural training or background I never felt as though the book was talking over my head, or indeed, down to me.I loved this book. If you love Brutalist architecture you should buy it. If you don't love Brutalist architecture you should still buy it.

A very engaging read whether you are already well-versed in 1960s-70s architecture or are seeking an introduction to it. It doesn't seek to give readers chapter and verse on Brutalism, but instead gives a personal account of how Calder fell in love with imaginative power of the buildings. He takes a strong stance arguing that Brutalism was "the high point of architecture". As such it is a personalised narrative which features an individual selection of buildings Calder knows well. Nonetheless this is an account informed by years of academic study, worn impressively lightly, and thus includes references to sources for further reading. This makes it accessible to any student new to Brutalism wanting to get to grips with it.The book includes black and white images. Calder has provided QR code links to web-based high-resolution colour versions - viewing these allows the reader to undertake a kind of virtual tour of their own. (There's also a web address if you're not into QR codes.)

I bought this having attended a 20th Century Society lecture given by the author on Brutalism. I wasn't a fan of the architecture but I thought I should at least try and understand the thinking behind it so that I could slag it off from a more informed position. Well, I shan't be slagging it off at all and I happily bought the book. As a lecturer and as an author Barnabas Calder is a first class communicator. In trying to sell Brutalism to us he doesn't imply that if we hate that kind of architecture we must be stupid, nor does he feel the need particularly to criticise other styles. He just beautifully and clearly persuades. And if you get the chance to hear him speak - go.