In his book “The New Brutalism in Architecture: Ethical or Aesthetic?,” Reyner Banham establishes what he deems the semantic roots of the term 'Brutalism,' explaining that it comes from one of the " indisputable turning points in architecture, the construction of Le Corbusier's concrete masterpiece, la Unité d'habitation de Marseille. It was Corbusier's own word for raw or rough-cast concrete, "Béton brut," that made Brutalism a mainstay in architectural jargon and, in many ways, the term, as well as the architecture it described, flourished." In the book, Banham highlights the historical milestone marked by Corbusier's Unite d' Habitation and the socio-political context that shaped it. In steel-starved post-World War II Europe, exposed concrete became the go-to building material within the burgeoning Brutalist movement, which quickly defined itself by its bare-bone, rugged surfaces and dramatic, geometric shapes.
Similar to other forms of architecture, educational buildings--even though tied to certain socioeconomic and political factors--are influenced by the architectural styles of their respective time periods. Combine this with their propensity for monumentality, educational institutions the world over have turned to Brutalism to define their aesthetic and highlight their "institutionalism." In keeping with Brutalist tradition, reinforced concrete is the building material of choice, lending all manner of shapes and textures to these centers for learning.
Along with his work for the articles Brutalism and Collective Living in Europe and Europe's Brutalist Churches and Chapels, photographer Stefano Perego has also covered Brutalism as seen in educational institutions, including universities, primary and secondary schools, institutes, lyceums, and university libraries. In this article, we highlight some of these institutions from throughout Europe, namely Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and the people behind them, including architects Gerd Hänska, Rolf Gutbrod, Enrico Castiglioni, Hermann Fehling, Daniel Gogel, Christoph Parade, Brigitte Parade, Walter Schrempf, Georges Adilon, Guido Canella, Michele Achilli, Daniele Brigidini, and Johannes Van den Broek, among others:
