Adrien Brody Takes Home his Second Oscar for Playing an Immigrant Architect Inspired by Brutalism
On Monday, March 3, ‘The Brutalist’ emerged as a major winner at the Oscars. The Brutalist took home a total of three Oscars this year, with lead actor Adrien Brody winning Best Actor for his performance. The film follows the journey of Laszlo Toth, a fictional Jewish Hungarian architect played by Brody, as he rebuilds a war-torn world using concrete.
When confronted with criticism that concrete is dull, Toth counters with a powerful statement: “The buildings are static, they are not yours to dissolve.”
Brutalist Architecture and its Favourite, Concrete
Brutalism as an architectural movement took shape in the United Kingdom during the 1950s, as a response to the impermanence of life realised after the World War II. Prioritizing affordability and simplicity, this style rejected the ornate characteristics of neo-classical design and took up raw, functional aesthetics. Some critics have labeled Brutalist structures as heavy, imposing, and austere, almost lulling you to boredom with its heavy use of grey concrete. The term itself is often credited to British architectural critic Reyner Banham (1955) and is also linked to the French phrase “béton brut,” meaning raw concrete.
Brutalism as a Reaction to the Brutal Destruction of War
War demolishes structures so rapidly as we see happening in countless places in our times, be it in Palestine, Sudan or Ukraine. After WW-II, European cities needed rapid reconstruction to provide housing, schools, and hospitals. Brutalism, with its emphasis on modular, low-cost materials, and utilitarian structures, answered this need. British architects Alison and Peter Smithson were among the early champions of the brutalist style, shaping its principles around material-focused, fuss-free design. Other notable Brutalist architects include Swiss-French pioneer Le Corbusier (who designed Chandigarh in India), Hungarian-German architect Marcel Breuer, and Japan’s Kenzo Tange.
Image Courtesy- Sosbrutalism.org
Image Courtesy- Artsy
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The Defining features of Brutalist buildings were often made entirely of exposed concrete, erasing the traditional distinction between exterior and interior materials. Concrete and brick became the defining elements. Buildings moved away from decorative, ornamental architecture to raw and unfinished Surfaces. Brutalist buildings featured textures that exposed the hammered, rough concrete. The Barbican Estate in London, a massive cultural and residential complex designed by Peter Chamberlin, Geoffrey Powell, and Christoph Bon, are a good example of this characteristic.
Image Courtesy- RICS
The Brutalist element also emphasises large-scale housing projects. Brutalism’s role in modernist urban planning has remained influential till now, in Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation in France exemplifies this kind of style. Its geometric, linear design provided housing for 1,600 people, meeting the urgent post-war demand for scalable residential structures.
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Some Brutalist buildings incorporated striking sculptural elements into their designs to balance the stark concrete exteriors. Examples include Wallace Harrison’s Egg Centre, the conical Grand Central Water Tower in South Africa, and Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 in Canada.
Image Courtesy- Architechuul.
Brutalism Architecture in India
Brutalist architecture found a strong foothold in India through the work of Le Corbusier, particularly in cities like Chandigarh. This influence can be seen in numerous buildings of New Delhi and Ahmedabad. Even the residential structures have come under the influence of Brutalism with its heavy use of easy-access materials like concrete. Notable Brutalist-modernist buildings in India include Shiv Nath Prasad’s Tibet House and Shri Ram Centre, both distinguished by their raw concrete facades and sculptural elements. Another iconic example was the Chanakya Cinema in Delhi, designed by P. N. Mathur, though the structure has been demolished since.
Image Courtesy- Architecture Live
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Brutalism remains a cult for its influential effect on architectural style, the method embodies resilience, functionality, and material honesty. Through ‘The Brutalist,’ with the films cultural impact of brutalist architecture, the director Brady Corbet weaves the enigmatic architectural philosophy into the big screen with his cinematic narrative on survival and creation.
Feature Image Courtesy- IMBD, Frame of Brody in ‘The Brutalist’
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