Overview

SOS Brutalism is a distress signal. Since the 1950s, eminent architects around the world have realised buildings expressing an uncompromising attitude. Predominantly, yet not exclusively, they used exposed concrete, or beton brut (hence the term 'brutalism'), for their construction. Today, many of these always-controversial buildings are in danger of demolition or, at least, of reconstruction that often may change their appearance beyond recognition. In recent years, an initiative to protect and preserve this significant global heritage of 20th-century architecture has gained momentum, mainly through the internet. Using the hashtag #SOSBrutalism, the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM, German Museum of Architecture) in Frankfurt on the Main and the Wustenrot Foundation participate in this campaign, and have developed a vast collaborative research project. The result of this research to date is a global survey of brutalist architecture of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, presented in an exhibition at DAM in Autumn 2017 and a coinciding and uniquely comprehensive book. Some 100 contributors document around 120 key buildings from this period, including many previously unpublished discoveries that are in acute danger of loss through neglect or intended demolition. Moreover, the book features overviews of brutalism in architecture in twelve regions around the world. Case studies of hotspots such as the Macedonian capital Skopje or New Haven, Connecticut, and essays on the history and theory of brutalism round out this lavishly illustrated book. The supplement collects papers of an international symposium on brutalism in architecture held in Berlin in 2012. AUTHORS: Oliver Elser is a curator at Deutsches Architekturmuseum DAM in Frankfurt on the Main. In 2016, he was co-curator of the German pavilion at the International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. Philip Kurz is managing director of Wustenrot Foundation in Ludwigsburg, Germany, and teaches as a professor at the Institute of Design and Building Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Peter Cachola Schmal is director of Deutsches Architekturmuseum DAM in Frankfurt on the Main. In 2016, he curated together with Oliver Elser and Anna Scheuermann the exhibition Making Heimat in the German pavilion at the International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. 1000 colour, 200 b/w illustrations

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9783038600756

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Save the concrete monsters: That's the unofficial rallying cry of SOS Brutalism. . . . The scope of the survey is staggering: more than 750 pages, it spotlights projects from around the globe, focusing especially on a handful of case studies, among them churches, British universities, and Japanese civic halls. . . . The book represents a significant contribution to charting the global rise of this period of architecture and what remains of that legacy. --Architect magazine Solid and impeccably researched but also very engaging and illustrated with plenty of contemporary images and archive documents. --We Make Money Not Art The ultimate global survey. --Domus, on the exhibition To some, Brutalist buildings are eyesores, monstrosities. But Elser, Kurz, and Schmal believe Brutalism is an architectural style worthy of preservation--and have created an online campaign, book and exhibition to that end. --BBC Culture Brutalism has become a fad and fascination for design nerds, and SOS Brutalism does not disappoint. . . . Begun as a hashtag, #SOSBrutalism sought to draw awareness to the fact that these formerly derided, now-fashionable buildings are not registering on the radar of traditional architectural preservationists, even though many are in danger of being razed. Sending out an SOS to the world, . . . Elser, Kurz, and Schmal have collected over one thousand edifices from nearly every continent. . . . The book showcases 120 significant projects. --4Columns A treasure trove of unsung buildings and oddities. . . . Covering the period between 1950 and 1970, SOS Brutalism uses new photography and archive imagery to rally for preservation and recognition, making it a must for lovers of architecture's more far-flung fringes. Lovers of raw surfaces, bold forms, and naked concrete are spoilt for choice. --Wallpaper SOS Brutalism demonstrates the richness and diversity of the style. . . . [Brutalist buildings] collectively represent a post-World War II moment of experimentation with form and new materials, something that is worth protecting. --Hyperallergic SOS Brutalism calls for recognition and understanding of the buildings that contribute to a global heritage, which is being lost as individual examples fall into disrepair and sometimes demise. . . . [It's] a weighty reminder of our collective legacy. --Architectural Record

Save the concrete monsters: That's the unofficial rallying cry of SOS Brutalism. . . . The scope of the survey is staggering: more than 750 pages, it spotlights projects from around the globe, focusing especially on a handful of case studies, among them churches, British universities, and Japanese civic halls. . . . The book represents a significant contribution to charting the global rise of this period of architecture and what remains of that legacy. --Architect magazine Solid and impeccably researched but also very engaging and illustrated with plenty of contemporary images and archive documents. --We Make Money Not Art To some, Brutalist buildings are eyesores, monstrosities. But Elser, Kurz, and Schmal believe Brutalism is an architectural style worthy of preservation--and have created an online campaign, book and exhibition to that end. --BBC Culture The ultimate global survey. --Domus, on the exhibition SOS Brutalism calls for recognition and understanding of the buildings that contribute to a global heritage, which is being lost as individual examples fall into disrepair and sometimes demise. . . . [It's] a weighty reminder of our collective legacy. --Architectural Record Brutalism has become a fad and fascination for design nerds, and SOS Brutalism does not disappoint. . . . Begun as a hashtag, #SOSBrutalism sought to draw awareness to the fact that these formerly derided, now-fashionable buildings are not registering on the radar of traditional architectural preservationists, even though many are in danger of being razed. Sending out an SOS to the world, . . . Elser, Kurz, and Schmal have collected over one thousand edifices from nearly every continent. . . . The book showcases 120 significant projects. --4Columns A treasure trove of unsung buildings and oddities. . . . Covering the period between 1950 and 1970, SOS Brutalism uses new photography and archive imagery to rally for preservation and recognition, making it a must for lovers of architecture's more far-flung fringes. Lovers of raw surfaces, bold forms, and naked concrete are spoilt for choice. --Wallpaper SOS Brutalism demonstrates the richness and diversity of the style. . . . [Brutalist buildings] collectively represent a post-World War II moment of experimentation with form and new materials, something that is worth protecting. --Hyperallergic

Author Information

Oliver Elser is a curator at Deutsches Architekturmuseum DAM in Frankfurt on the Main. In 2016, he was co-curator of the German pavilion at the International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. Philip Kurz is managing director of Wustenrot Foundation in Ludwigsburg, Germany, and teaches as a professor at the Institute of Design and Building Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Peter Cachola Schmal is director of Deutsches Architekturmuseum DAM in Frankfurt on the Main. In 2016, he curated together with Oliver Elser and Anna Scheuermann the exhibition Making Heimat in the German pavilion at the International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.

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