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Brutalist architecture certainly lives up to its name - it is often bare, bold and brash exposed concrete. Most people don't understand how anyone could have ever thought that this was an attractive architecture. However, put into the context of the larger Modernist agenda you can begin to make sense of Brutalism.

Modernism was founded on the idea that machine technology was going to drive society (literally and metaphorically) into a new and better age. As such, the simplicity and sleekness of automobiles and machines was adopted as an aesthetic prototype for Modern architecture.

In turn, Brutalism - as the raw and austere expression of materials of construction - was an attempt to be 'honest' about the logic of how construction works as opposed to 'dishonestly' cladding concrete buildings in brick, which is a common practice in new construction today. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that essentially no recently-constructed brick-clad building you pass on the street relies on its bricks for any structural support - they are merely an aesthetic addition to concrete and/or steel frame construction. So, though Brutalist architecture may not appeal to our contemporary sensibilities, it did grow out of a coherent set of ideals concerning the nature of architecture and design.

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