10 Most Famous Brutalist Buildings in the World

The Brutalist style emerged from Le Corbusier‘s designs of the early 1950s and those of Kiyonori Kikutake and Alison Smithson. Attaining global popularity, the style is associated with public and institutional buildings, including universities, libraries, museums, courts, city halls, and churches. However, by the 1980s, Brutalist architecture would fall from favor and be regarded as antisocial and hostile.

1. Palace of Assembly, Chandigarh, India

The Palace of Assembly was designed by Le Corbusier and constructed between 1951 and 1962, becoming one of the earliest examples of Brutalism. The monumental structure houses the Punjab Legislative Assembly and the Haryana Legislative Assembly.

Le Corbusier’s design broke with traditional forms and embodied the flow of conversations and ideas. Le Corbusier’s design became an enduring symbol for a new era in India. In The Guardian, Jason Burke wrote, “Nehru desired that the city’s design be ‘unfettered by the traditions of the past, a symbol of the nation’s faith in the future’.” Additionally, the high ceilings and narrow columns create an expansive space. Ramps, instead of stairs, provide fluid transitions between levels. The distinctive design is widely considered a classic in Brutalist architecture. In 2016, the building was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

2. Sky House, Tokyo, Japan

The Sky House in Tokyo, was designed in 1958 as Kiyonori Kikutake’s private residence. Kiyonori Kikutake (1928-2011) was a Japanese architect and a founder of the Metabolist movement, which sought to create modular architecture that was in harmony with the surrounding built environment.

The geometric forms of the house are emphasized by rectangular concrete slabs serving as the elevated platform and roof over the site’s square plan. The wooden screens, originating in traditional domestic architecture of Japan, lend organic warmth to the entire structure. The home’s open plan features an engawa (an exterior corridor/balcony) and a movable kitchen and toilet, reflecting elements of the Metabolist movement. The Sky House is a stunning example of domestic architecture in the Brutalist style. It remains a landmark of Kikutake’s enduring architectural convictions and innovative approach to design.

3. Boston City Hall, Boston, MA, USA

Boston City Hall was built between 1963 and 1968. Designed by Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles, like many Brutalist buildings, it received a mixed reception. The design’s articulated structure is an expression of the the power housed within it, with its rugged, cantilevered concrete forms and a multitude of smaller elements coming together to form an imposing, mighty structure. Though located at the heart of the historic city, the architects sought to create a bold statement of modern civic democracy.

Critics have felt that the building’s Brutalist style is not suited to the context of the surrounding architectural environment. Supporters, however, assert that many of the elements in the design are abstractions of classical design elements, such as the coffers and the architrave above the columns, that often typify American government buildings.

4. Barbican Estate, London, UK

The Barbican Estate was designed by the architectural firm Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, which was formed in 1951. The complex was constructed between 1965 and 1976 in the former Cripplegate ward, which was heavily damaged during World War II bombings. The project is an upmarket residential complex of approximately 2000 apartments and houses in central London, originally planned for middle- and upper-middle-class professionals.

The Barbican Estate reflects the rise in the use of concrete in Britain during the mid-20th century. The design is noted for the total separation of vehicles from pedestrians throughout the complex through “highwalks”—walkways of varying width perched 1 to 3 stories above ground level. In September 2001, the Barbican was designated Grade II listed for its special architectural interest, scale, cohesion, and project ambition. The complex is architecturally significant as it is one of London’s principal examples of Brutalist architecture.

5. Geisel Library, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

The next Brutalist gem on our list is the Geisel Library, designed by William Pereira and Associates, located at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). It was constructed between 1965 and 1969. The building’s distinctive architecture of inverted masses embodies the elements of both Brutalism and Futurism in architecture. The unique form of the building maximized daylight to the floors, maintained a central circulation system, and provided a variety of flexible floor arrangements. As described by David Langdon in ArchDaily as “the library beautifully occupies an ambiguous state between massiveness and levitation.”

During William Pereira’s distinguished career, the Geisel Library was one of several significant projects by the firm in California. Pereira enjoyed tremendous influence throughout the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1965, he was awarded the commission to build the library at UCSD due partly to his history of eye-catching and inventive designs. Pereira would complete other impressive commissions, including the Transamerica Corporation Building in San Francisco, the Times-Mirror Company, and the Fox Plaza Century City in Los Angeles.

6. J Edgar Hoover Building, Washington, DC, USA

Though the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had requested a building as early as 1939, the J Edgar Hoover Building was not begun until 1965. The structure was designed by Charles Murphy and Associates, who worked to satisfy the competing interests of the National Capital Planning Commission, GSA, the Commission on Fine Arts, and the Pennsylvania Avenue Advisory Council.

The imposing structure is eight stories high on the Pennsylvania Avenue NW side and 11 stories high on the E Street NW side, which accounts for the irregular terrain on which the structure was situated. Two wings connect the main buildings, forming an open-air, trapezoidal courtyard. The exterior is buff-colored precast and cast-on-site concrete with crushed dolomitic limestone as an aggregate. Square, bronze-tinted windows are set deep in concrete frames. The façade consists of repetitive, angular concrete elements similar to those used by Le Corbusier and Paul Randolph.

7. Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada

Habitat 67 is a model housing complex built as a demonstration project during the 1967 Montreal World Exposition. Designed by Moshe Safdie, it consists of 146 prefabricated concrete residences varying in size and configuration, forming linked concrete units. The complex was designed to integrate the benefits of suburban homes, such as gardens, fresh air, and privacy, with the economics and density of modern urban living.

8. Buffalo City Court Building, Buffalo, New York

This 10-story courthouse was built in 1974. Designed by Pfohl, Roberts and Biggie, the monolithic structure embodied the bold geometric forms possible with precast concrete. By some architecture historians, it is considered as the epitome of Brutalist architecture.

9. Wotruba Church, Vienna, Austria

The Wotruba Church, located in Vienna, Austria, was designed by Fritz Mayr, based on the artwork by Fritz Wotruba. The Catholic church, which was constructed in 1974–1976, is an example of Brutalist ecclesiastical architecture. Though the design was inspired by Chartres Cathedral, Wotruba Church was built of 152 concrete blocks with no visible symmetry. However, the structure uses clear glass windows to provide light and thus avoids the heaviness of many other Brutalist designs.

10. Central Plaza, Dublin, Ireland

The Central Plaza Dublin, formerly the Central Bank of Ireland, is the convergence point between Dublin’s north and south city centers. Designed by Stephenson Gibney & Associates and completed in 1978, it is unique as Ireland’s only suspended building, with its eight floors hanging from central concrete cores. Like other Brutalist buildings, contemporaries were critical of the design. In September of 1972, The Irish Times described it as “aggressively distinct and monstrously oversized.”