Los Angeles boasts a dynamic and diverse architectural landscape. Over the years of the city’s growth and evolving construction,
multiple styles of architecture have found their home in the cityscape. Across the sprawling city, residents and visitors alike have the opportunity to marvel at buildings inspired by and typifying a broad range of styles, some prevalent in other localities, and some distinct to this region and city. In Los Angeles, you’ll find Victorian, Craftsman, and Storybrook architectural styles alongside Spanish Mission Revival, Art Deco, and Brutalist architecture. No matter the design, concrete plays an important role, and for future buildings looking to draw on these styles as inspiration,
Los Angeles commercial concrete can bring the design into reality. Brutalist architecture in particular features and benefits from the versatility and unique aesthetics of concrete, as can be seen in several iconic examples of the style in Los Angeles.
What is Brutalist Architecture
Brutalist architecture developed from the modernist architecture or the early 20th century and was most popular in the 1950s to the 1970s. It is characterized by simple, block-like forms and raw concrete construction, and is commonly used in public buildings such as libraries, courts, educational institutions, and city halls. Seen in contrast to the classical and ornate Beaux-Arts style, which has features like columns, arches, vaults, and domes, Brutalism favors the unvarnished exposure of the forms and functions of the structure, revealing its methods of construction and making apparent the various human uses. Due to their sometimes stark and austere aesthetic, structures built in the brutalist style can have a polarized reception from the public, architects, and the people who occupy the building. Most agree, though, they are fascinating to look at.
Key examples in LA
There are several interesting examples of the brutalist architectural style in Los Angeles, including the George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, the College of Environmental Design at Cal Poly Pomona, and the Braille Institute of America. The last of these structures is particularly compelling due to its design objectives: it was created for visitors and occupants who would primarily experience the space through touch, sound, and smell. The building is composed of poured, and
tensioned concrete in block-like forms, with windows spanning the length of the building’s facades. At its heart is a daylight-filled central court with a twenty-foot mosaic, an art form that was chosen for its texture as it can be experienced through touch as well as sight.
