Human Interest

We’re familiar with the sight of brutalist towers in Britain, but less well known are the strange playgrounds built at the same time, with their rough surfaces and dangerous drops – now re-created at the RIBA

It’s hard to find a more polarizing architecture—even among scholars it’s most likely to be described as “ugly,” “unloved,” or even “hated.” I’m talking about Brutalism, the blocky unfinished concrete style which used to be very common in cities around the world, but is now being demolished at an astounding rate.