#a backdrop of mediterranian scrubby hillside makes a Brutalist structure work - it blends into the landscape

[hedge-rambles]

There's a whole thing in certain circles of the left that's extremely horny for Brutalism and decries criticism of it as being like...inherently opposed to left-wing values? I don't really get how much of that is a meme vs. earnest opinion but it's a thing and there's deffo circles where this is a controversial statement, somehow.

Personally I don't think I will ever love brutalism: I have lived in it, I recently saw the place I lived for 6 years in the trailer for a film - it was being used for Grim Poor Soviet Russia, and honestly? Yeah fair they chose the right location to film that. But at the same time my opinion has been swayed somewhat recently with finding out that a lot of my hatred for Brutalism is just because I live in Britain and it's just totally unsuited to our climate.

In hot, dry countries it can be beautiful. In the sun, like ok yeah actually those building look good, they last, they look good as new for decades. On my wet and cloudy island though? It looks shite within about 30 minutes of being built and only get progressively worse from there on out. It's less of an inherent issue with Brutalism so much as an issue of the Right Architecture for the Right Place.

okay the thing is brutalism is meant to last and allow for low cost structures that will persist with low maintenance costs etc and for this i respect it. but as someone who has had to work in brutalist buildings. nothing destroys your will to persist more profoundly than having to navigate a brutalist building day after day. basically what i'm saying is we can get weird with it we can innovate we can come up with alternatives that do not make people feel like caged animals