{"id":249431,"date":"2025-01-23T16:54:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T21:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=249431"},"modified":"2025-01-23T17:03:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T22:03:00","slug":"must-see-builds-that-nod-to-brutalist-architecture","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/must-see-builds-that-nod-to-brutalist-architecture\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Must-See Builds That Nod To Brutalist Architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\"The
The home\u2019s main living spaces, including the open-plan kitchen\/dining area and sitting room, wrap around the courtyard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

January 23, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Interior Design Staff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

11 Must-See Builds That Nod To Brutalist Architecture<\/h1>\n\n\n

Brutalist architecture, characterized by raw, unpolished surfaces and geometric forms, is having a moment, especially given recent acclaim for The Brutalis<\/em>t film, which follows a fictional architect pioneering the style in the U.S. after World War II. Emerging in the mid-20th century, brutalist architecture continues to invite a sense a awe\u2014and even warmth\u2014through imposing and strikingly unique structures often made from concrete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following in the footsteps of innovators like Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn, and Carlo Scarpa, who showcased the endless possibilities of cast-in-place concrete, modern designers are putting their stamp on brutalist builds\u2014and in some cases, updating the interiors of iconic ones. From boutique hotels to airy offices and sleek homes, we’ve rounded up spaces that exemplify the best of brutalist architecture, offering a sense of monumentality and permanence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Brutalist Architecture Continues To Push Design Boundaries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Inside A Menorca Hotel Brimming With Brutalist Architecture\u00a0<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Photography by Jose\u0301 Hevia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ca Ses Sucreres, a grocery shop in Menorca, Spain, where, in the 1940\u2019s, village children would get sweets (the name derives from sucre, <\/em>Catalan for sugar)<\/em>, has been reenvisioned and expanded\u2014from 4,800 square feet to 9,200, plus another 3,200 of courtyards, with the annexing of two adjoining buildings\u2014into a 12-key boutique hotel by Calderon-Folch Studio specializing in passive architecture. Traditional\u2014and local\u2014Menorcan mar\u00e9s, <\/em>or sandstone, <\/em>clads the exterior, while interiors skew more brutalist, with a ribbed-slab ceiling of reinforced concrete. Take a look inside<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How a Contemporary Hacienda In Tulum Caters To Local Makers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Photography by Richard Powers\/Living Inside.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Drawing on brutalist architecture and Japanese design, this modern hacienda in Tulum features hushed tones and sculptural appointments. Verdant views form the backdrop of almost every room. Statement furnishings crafted from local stone are in perfect alignment with the architecture and further connect the interior to its natural surrounds. The dining area\u2019s table, benches, and chairs, for instance, are unique pieces of functional art made from rough-hewn slabs of Crema Maya, a lush Mexican limestone. Read more about this space<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Brutalist Architecture Shapes This Chic Australian Home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Photography by Sharyn Cairns.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Set on a grassy knoll with distant views over Bass Strait, this 8,100-square-foot, two-level beach house in Sorrento, Australia, uses board-formed concrete with a virtuosic ease that the masters of European and Brazilian brutalism might envy. Partially embedded in the hillock, the podium base contains guest accommodations, recreational spaces, and a cast-concrete staircase that spirals upward like a pleated ribbon to the main living quarters above. Read more about this home design<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brutalist Architecture Shines At Hotel Terrestre In Oaxaca, Mexico\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Photography by Fabian Martinez.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hotel Terrestre not only restores visitors but also has a minimal carbon footprint. The Oaxacan wellness retreat is entirely solar-powered and made from and by local materials and artisans\u2014a trend in vacation properties throughout Mexico. Built from brick and concrete with brutalist architecture sparsity, the project blends into the surrounding native flora and fauna. Read more about the hotel design<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

AvroKO Turns to Warm Brutalism Architecture for the Jay Hotel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"a
Photography by Garrett Rowland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Warm brutalism architecture may sound like a contradiction in terms, but it aptly describes the interiors of the 24-story, 360-key Jay hotel in San Francisco. AvroKO\u2019s scheme embraces the heavy concrete forms and sawtooth glass facade of the 1988 building and pays homage to its architect, John Portman. His work differs from earlier brutalist projects, observes AvroKO cofounder and principal Greg Bradshaw: \u201cThere\u2019s a more intimate scale and quality of softness.\u201d Read more about this hotel design<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Iconic Marcel Breuer Building Is Transformed Into A Sustainable Hotel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"exterior
Photography by Seamus Payne.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A beloved example of brutalist architecture, Marcel Breuer’s 1970 Connecticut headquarters for Armstrong Rubber Company is now the Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. Preserving the 110,000-square-foot-icon of concrete brutalism, Dutch East Design and architect-developer Bruce Becker of Becker + Becker transformed the space into a LEED Platinum-certified hotel. Read more about this hotel design<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take A Look Inside This Updated Brutalist Gem Turned Office Design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Fragelli\u2019s
Photography by Ricardo Bassetti.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Brazil\u2019s S\u00e3o Paulo has one of the world\u2019s great collections of brutalist architecture, including a 1984 gem by Marcello Fragelli, now the home to a headquarters for BMG Bank courtesy of transformation by Perkins&Will. While architect and director of the Perkins&Will studio in S\u00e3o Paulo Fernando Vidal and team retained much of the original personality of the 43,000-square-foot space, including the characteristic concrete structure revealed in the elevator lobby, some updates needed to be made. Read more about this office design<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This S\u00e3o Paolo Home And Gallery Exemplifies Brutalist Architecture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"concrete-based
Photography by Filippo Bamberghi\/Living Inside.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Designed by Jo\u00e3o Batista Vilanova Artigas, this residence epitomizes the architect\u2019s innovations in concrete construction and his efforts to create a sui generis Brazilian modernism that departed from European norms. Designed in 1974 for a former student, the iconic building boasts complex interior volumes, unorthodox floor ramps, a Brutalist sense of materiality, and a symbiotic relationship with its surroundings that were pioneering indeed. Though the house remains privately owned by the original family, it has also moonlighted as a public-facing gallery. Read more about this space<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brutalist Architecture And A Cocooning Atmosphere Await At Casa TO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"a
Photography by Jaime Navarro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hidden away down a quiet side street in La Punta Zicatela, Casa TO is a zen\u00adlike hotel inspired by the ancient temples of surrounding Oaxaca. Designed by French architect Ludwig Godefroy, who left the original concrete structure bare and unfinished\u2014citing influences of 20th-century brutalist architecture\u2014the hotel serves as an inviting haven for surfers and tourists alike. Read more about this space<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peruse An Updated Library In A Brutalist Build<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"green
Photography by Scott Norsworthy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As part of the transformation of the five-story D.B. Weldon Library, a brutalist architecture icon in London, Canada by John Andrew that opened in 1972, Cornerstone Architecture and Perkins&Will refreshed 80,000 square feet of interior space. The resulting library features daylit learning centers as well as new study and socializing spaces. Read more about the library design<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside A Concrete Townhouse in Mexico City<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"exterior
Photography by Joe Fletcher..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Studio Rick Joy turns to brutalist architecture for a ground-up build in Mexico City. \u201cSome people have a negative attitude toward concrete,\u201d Joy says, acknowledging the common perception of the Brutalist material as harsh and cold. \u201cThe concrete  here is soft\u201d\u2014rich with the imprinted texture of the wood planks\u2014\u201cand a very warm color. Mexicans do the best concrete in the world.\u201d Read more about this home design<\/a>.
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n