Raw Concrete: The Beauty of Brutalism

Raw Concrete: The Beauty of Brutalism
Barnabas Calder
RRP:
NZ$ 35.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 28.79
Paperback
h198 x 129mm - 416pg
5 May 2022 UK
International import eta 10-19 days
9781529156089
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
We are surrounded by concrete...The raw concrete buildings of the 1960s constituted the greatest flowering of architecture the world has ever seen. The biggest construction boom in history promoted unprecedented technological innovation and an explosion of competitive creativity amongst architects, engineers and concrete-workers. The Brutalist style was the result. But concrete architecture came to be hated. Today, after several decades in the shadows, attitudes towards Brutalism are slowly changing, but it is a movement that is still overlooked, and grossly underrated. At first glance these buildings can be difficult to understand, let alone love, but a whole world opens up if you look a little closer. Raw Concrete overturns the perception of Brutalist buildings as the penny-pinching, utilitarian products of dutiful social concern. Instead it uncovers the luxuriously skilled craft and daring engineering with which the best buildings of the 1960s came into being: magnificent architectural visions serving clients rich and poor, radical and conservative.Beginning in a tiny hermitage on the remote north Scottish coast, and ending up backstage at the National Theatre, Raw Concrete embarks on a wide-ranging journey through Britain over the past sixty years, stopping to examine how eight extraordinary buildings were made - from commission to construction - why they have been so vilified, and why they are beginning to be loved. It puts a forceful case for recognising Brutalism not merely as a worthy and interesting style, but as the best architecture there has ever been, and maybe the best there ever will be.
"The best introduction to this most exciting and visceral period of British architecture - a learned and passionate book." -- Simon Bradley, author of The Railways "Part history, part aesthetic autobiography, wholly engaging and liable to convince those procrastinators sitting (uncomfortably) on the concrete fence." -- Jonathan Meades "A compelling and evocative read, one that is meticulously researched, and filled with insight and passion. Through Barnabas Calder's personal narrative we gain a deep understanding and appreciation of a tough subject." -- Kate Goodwin, Head of Architecture, Royal Academy of Arts "A fascinating odyssey through Britain's Brutalist landscape. The journey is sometimes breathtaking, but always insightful and informed. By its end, we understand the complexity, skill, and vision, as well as the politics, that created the buildings he explores in such loving detail." -- Elizabeth Darling, author of Re-Forming Britain "Barnabas Calder is a self-outed lover of concrete, a man who doesn't visit buildings but makes "pilgrimages". He holds back on neither his praise for the objects of his passion, nor his wrath against those who threaten them. Buy this excellent book, read it and go out and hug your nearest lofty edifice in concrete and glass!" -- Neil Baxter, The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland "This engrossing book by a fellow self-confessed concrete lover is both a witty travelogue and memoir and the clear-sighted history of Brutalist buildings. Barnabas Calder relishes the craftsmanship, the financial back stories, and the aims and ambitions of a diverse generation of architects, whose works deserve our sympathy." -- Catherine Croft, Director, Twentieth Century Society "This celebration of all things concrete will please both its aficionados and those who find it hard to love ... Calder's distinctive approach is a combination of scholarliness with personal association ... An engaging and accessible guide for those drawn towards these ex-monstrosities." The Observer, 'New Review' "This is a strongly-argued and at times refreshingly polemical book, one guaranteed to change your opinion of an ambitious and much-maligned architectural style that, like it or not, has had a profound effect on our built environment." The National "An excellent - and highly readable - guide ... If you're interested in Brutalism as architecture and construction practice, if you're interested in its meaning and its context, buy this book." Municipial Dreams
Barnabas Calder is a historian of architecture specialising in British architecture since 1945. He is a senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool, and is compiling an online complete works of Sir Denys Lasdun, funded by the Graham Foundation and in collaboration with the RIBA British Architectural Library Special Collections.
Status: No local stock, title imported to order
ISBN-13: 9781529156089
Published: 5 May 2022
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Penguin (Cornerstone)
Publisher: Cornerstone
Format: Paperback
Height: 198mm
Width: 129mm
Spine: 35mm
Weight: 500g
Pages: 416

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information