Brutalist architecture has a perfectly appropriate name.
The design conveys, well, brutality. The movement, which was most popular in the middle of the 20th century, was marked by its cold, sterile appearance. Extremely functional, very linear, and lots of concrete. A retrofuturistic attempt at modernism.
It’s a little funny, then, to see Brutalist buildings recreated with the same type of blocks that can be used to construct the Firehouse Headquarters from "Ghostbusters."
German artist Arndt Schlaudraff uses LEGO blocks to build notable Brutalist structures. He posts photos of his work on his Instagram account.
Not all Brutalist structures are plain, nor do they have beauty only in their subtlety. Some of the models Schlaudraff have made are really striking. Some entries are fictitious, and some are based off of existing buildings. Schlaudraff doesn’t sell his pieces; instead, he take photos and destroys the models so he can repurpose the bricks.
The artist spoke with Dezeen about his fascination with Brutalism and LEGOs.
Related Stories
| Jun 25, 2014
AIA Foundation launches Regional Resilient Design Studio
The Studio is the first to be launched as part of the AIA Foundation’s National Resilience Program, which plans to open a total of five Regional Resilience Design Studios nationwide in collaboration with Architecture for Humanity, and Public Architecture.
| Jun 25, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Spring House, Cincinnati’s Union Terminal among 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2014
The National Trust for Historic Preservation released its annual list of 11 Most Endangered Historical Sites in the United States for 2014.
| Jun 25, 2014
Best of Britain: 56 buildings make it to the RIBA Stirling Prize's longlist
The longlist for the 2014 prize includes Foster + Partners' Marseille and London's now-famous Shard, designed by Renzo Piano.
| Jun 25, 2014
Green Building Initiative Announces New Appointments to Board
Glumac consulting engineer CEO Steve Straus and Plum Creek director of real estate Doug Cole join GBI's board of directors.
| Jun 25, 2014
Taking a page from Lean manufacturing for improved design review processes
SPONSORED CONTENT As more building project teams look for ways to collaborate better, technology continues to provide solutions. Yet, as I learned from the experience of one of my customers, choosing the wrong technology can have an underwhelming effect, causing a team to simply swap out old challenges for new ones.
| Jun 24, 2014
From Babylon to Sydney: The evolution of the modern workspace [infographic]
This infographic, made by Sunica de Klerk and originally posted by ArchDaily, shows the evolution of the office from 2400 B.C. to the present day.
| Jun 24, 2014
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announces plans for a Chicago Architecture Biennial
Chicago's mayor Rahm Emanuel announces plan to hold the Chicago Architecture Biennial in late 2015, intended to rival Venice's Biennale.
| Jun 24, 2014
Intuit begins work on LEED Platinum campus addition
Demolition will begin this week as a precursor to construction of Intuit's new addition to its Mountain View, Calif., campus. The first of two additions, a 185,000-sf building on Marine Way, is expected to begin construction in August.
| Jun 23, 2014
5 new designs unveiled for Make It Right homes at Fort Peck, Mont.
Make It Right, Brad Pitt's foundation that builds homes for people in need, has just revealed five new designs for the Fort Peck (Mont.) Indian Reservation.
| Jun 23, 2014
Gehry's 'glass sail' cultural center for Foundation Louis Vuitton set to open in October
Comissioned by Bernard Arnault, American legendary architect Frank Gehry's newest structure in Paris for Foundation Louis Vuitton will house eleven galleries and an auditorium for performing arts.
