{"id":72188,"date":"2021-06-07T08:45:47","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T12:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/?p=72188"},"modified":"2021-06-14T09:02:26","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T13:02:26","slug":"rehabilitating-brutalism-colossal-concrete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/inspiration\/stories\/rehabilitating-brutalism-colossal-concrete\/","title":{"rendered":"Rehabilitating Brutalism: How Colossal Concrete Buildings Made Their Big Comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><i>Architects: Showcase your next project through\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/register\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Architizer<\/i><\/span><\/a><i>\u00a0and sign up for our\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/architizer\/newslettersubscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>inspirational newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a><i>.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When people find out that I work in the architecture industry, one of the first questions that they ask is something along the lines of: \u201cCan you explain those ugly concrete buildings to me?\u201d No matter the city we are in \u2014 be it D.C., Toronto, or London \u2013 friends, family and acquaintances wonder why architects would choose to build what they perceive as eyesores. Whether seen as ugly, dystopian or fortress-like, the broader public seem perplexed as to why architects and enthusiasts continue to defend Brutalism.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long before the Instagram community brought about a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/photo-essays\/2018-09-18\/instagram-is-unlikely-savior-of-concrete-brutalist-architecture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">renewed appreciation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the much-maligned concrete giants, I was sympathetic to the raw materiality of these hulking, greyscale buildings and lamented the destruction of Brutalist icons. This article does not aim to make a case for the style but instead explores how and why the tides have turned in the broader public perception of Brutalist buildings, as the recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.archpaper.com\/2021\/05\/retooling-of-marcel-breuer-pirelli-building-net-zero-hotel\/?trk_msg=ACEKT4JTBUHKP8C8QN7B0CMSL4&amp;trk_contact=3E1SU4DMKC5UCSTQALJRHLRALG&amp;trk_sid=MU03VSHSLOEMFCCOK986JSH1U8&amp;utm_source=listrak&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=The+retool+of+an+aging+Marcel+Breuer+showstopper+takes+the+high+road&amp;utm_campaign=What+the+architecture+of+the+U.S.%e2%80%99s+embassy+boom+says+about+us%2c+Pennsylvania+State+Senator+Nikil+Sav\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">change of fortunes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for Marcel Breuer\u2019s landmark building in New Haven demonstrates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-72191 lazy lazy_media_item\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/PirelliConstructionwithBoomLIfts.jpg?resize=2500%2C2000&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/PirelliConstructionwithBoomLIfts.jpg?w=2500&amp;ssl=1 2500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/PirelliConstructionwithBoomLIfts.jpg?resize=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/PirelliConstructionwithBoomLIfts.jpg?resize=1024%2C819&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/PirelliConstructionwithBoomLIfts.jpg?resize=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/PirelliConstructionwithBoomLIfts.jpg?resize=1536%2C1229&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/PirelliConstructionwithBoomLIfts.jpg?resize=2048%2C1638&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/PirelliConstructionwithBoomLIfts.jpg?resize=375%2C300&amp;ssl=1 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_72192\" style=\"width: 1510px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72192\" class=\"size-full wp-image-72192 lazy lazy_media_item\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcelPhotoFromNorth.jpg?resize=1500%2C1416&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1416\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcelPhotoFromNorth.jpg?w=1500&amp;ssl=1 1500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcelPhotoFromNorth.jpg?resize=300%2C283&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcelPhotoFromNorth.jpg?resize=1024%2C967&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcelPhotoFromNorth.jpg?resize=768%2C725&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/MarcelPhotoFromNorth.jpg?resize=318%2C300&amp;ssl=1 318w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-72192\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Marcel Breuer&#8217;s iconic Pirelli Building in New Haven, CT (1969) is being transformed into a net-zero energy Hotel Marcel local architect-developer\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.beckerandbecker.com\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bruce Redman Becker.<\/a> Images via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beckerandbecker.com\/work\/hotel-marcel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Becker and Becker<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The monumental mid-century icon sits on the edge of the I-91\/I-95 interchange, marking the entrance for travelers entering New Haven. Initially built for Armstrong Rubber Company, the structure became a research &amp; development facility combined with offices soon after its completion in 1970. Nearly two decades later, the building switched hands in 1988, becoming an office complex for the Italian manufacturer, Pirelli \u2014 whose name remains attached to the structure. By 1999, the Pirelli company vacated the premises, leaving the building empty. It quickly entered into a state of decline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This slow degradation sounded as a death knell until 2003, when Ikea purchased the land on which it sat. Around this time, the building joined the State Register of Historic Places. Even still, the Swedish furniture company wasted no time demolishing a part of the building to make a parking lot. After nearly two decades of vacillation, in 2020, they sold the landmark building to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Becker + Becker Associates<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 an architecture and development company run by its namesake, Bruce Redman Becker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy lazy_media_item alignleft wp-image-72200 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-2-scaled.jpeg?resize=2560%2C1920&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"conservation brutalism Zvona\u0159ka Central Bus Terminal by CHYBIK + KRISTOF ARCHITECTS &amp; URBAN DESIGNERS\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-2-scaled.jpeg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-2-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-2-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-2-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-2-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-2-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-2-scaled.jpeg?resize=66%2C50&amp;ssl=1 66w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-2-scaled.jpeg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_72199\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72199\" class=\"lazy lazy_media_item wp-image-72199 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-scaled.jpeg?resize=2560%2C1707&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"conservation brutalism Zvona\u0159ka Central Bus Terminal by CHYBIK + KRISTOF ARCHITECTS &amp; URBAN DESIGNERS,\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-scaled.jpeg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Zvonar\u030cka-Central-Bus-Terminal-by-CHYBIK-KRISTOF-ARCHITECTS-URBAN-DESIGNERS-Brno-Czechia-scaled.jpeg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-72199\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/projects\/zvonarka-central-bus-terminal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zvona\u0159ka Central Bus Terminal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/chybikkristof-architects-urban-designers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CHYBIK + KRISTOF ARCHITECTS &amp; URBAN DESIGNERS<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brno, Czechia. Photos by Alex Shoots Buildings<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just two years earlier, few would have guessed that Breuer\u2019s building would re-open as the country\u2019s first passive house hotel. The restoration efforts not only revive a vital piece of New England heritage but also re-assert its relevance \u2014 fifty years after its construction \u2014 as a model for the future. The Marcel Hotel will operate free of fossil fuels and instead use solar panels and backup batteries to generate its electricity, heat, and hot water. Especially given the prominent discourse about concrete\u2019s carbon cost today, who could have imagined that a landmark Brutalist design would become a landmark building is sustainability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.metropolismag.com\/architecture\/preservation\/what-it-takes-preserve-brutalist-building\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">some preservationists<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the central tenants of the mid-century Brutalist movement were, from the onset, antithetical to disciplinary precepts and standards of architecture\u2019s historical conservation. As some industry insiders have suggested, the industrialized underpinnings of Brutalist design, whose use of exposed concrete elided structure and the surface of the building, ran contrary to the values upheld by the Arts and Crafts movement, out of which the preservation ethics of conservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse have evolved. Breuer\u2019s building, for instance, is modeled on the use of molded precast panels; the design stands as a testament to a significant moment in the architectural discussion about standardization, materials and monumentality. <\/span><\/p>\n<p data-wp-editing=\"1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-72203 lazy lazy_media_item\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-1.jpeg?resize=1800%2C1200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-1.jpeg?w=1800&amp;ssl=1 1800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-1.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-1.jpeg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-1.jpeg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-1.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-1.jpeg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_72205\" style=\"width: 1810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72205\" class=\"lazy lazy_media_item wp-image-72205 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-3.jpeg?resize=1800%2C1200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"preservation brutalism structure Lofts by H2 | Hawkins + Hawkins Architects,\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-3.jpeg?w=1800&amp;ssl=1 1800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-3.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-3.jpeg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-3.jpeg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-3.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Structure-Lofts-by-H2-Hawkins-Hawkins-Architects-Inc.-San-Diego-CA-3.jpeg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-72205\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/projects\/structure-lofts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Structure Lofts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/h2-hawkins-hawkins-architects-inc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">H2 | Hawkins + Hawkins Architects<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, San Diego, CA<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Authenticity<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">design intent <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are some of many considerations for the preservation of a building. Under these criteria, preservationists run against the dilemma of restoring sometimes shotty technologies in the name of architectural heritage that not only falls short of today\u2019s energy efficiency and weathering standards but also poses the real risk of damaging the overall structure all over again. These quandaries also contribute to the reticence to restore mid-century concrete icons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some proponents claim that Brutalism\u2019s fall from grace was due less to the perceived cold and abrasive aesthetic and more attributable to poor quality workmanship and languishing states of many buildings.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is true that many mid-century buildings have not stood the test of time; however, is it fair that their poor performances should seal their collective fate?\u00a0This gets to the heart of the core questions that drive the philosophy behind preservation and, perhaps, the need for different criteria when assessing and prescribing the value in protecting such structures and plans for their restoration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, Breuer\u2019s building was conceived by the architect as the gateway to the city; the structure was erected as a sculptural statement of the city\u2019s rebirth. While embodying many of the typical features discussed within the Modern movement, it is also unique. It is significant not only due to the eminence of the architect Marcel Breuer, but, according to those in the architecture community, it also supposedly has social value to the history of New Haven.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy lazy_media_item alignleft wp-image-72201 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-.jpg?resize=1766%2C1179&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"restoration brutalism Boston City Hall Public Spaces Renovation by Utile, Boston\" width=\"1766\" height=\"1179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-.jpg?w=1766&amp;ssl=1 1766w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-.jpg?resize=1536%2C1025&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy lazy_media_item alignleft wp-image-72202 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-2.jpg?resize=1096%2C1596&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"restoration brutalism Boston City Hall Public Spaces Renovation by Utile, Boston\" width=\"1096\" height=\"1596\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-2.jpg?w=1096&amp;ssl=1 1096w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-2.jpg?resize=206%2C300&amp;ssl=1 206w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-2.jpg?resize=703%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 703w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1118&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-2.jpg?resize=1055%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1055w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_72206\" style=\"width: 1776px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72206\" class=\"lazy lazy_media_item wp-image-72206 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-3.jpg?resize=1766%2C1179&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"restoration brutalism Boston City Hall Public Spaces Renovation by Utile, Boston\" width=\"1766\" height=\"1179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-3.jpg?w=1766&amp;ssl=1 1766w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-3.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-3.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-3.jpg?resize=1536%2C1025&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.staging.arc.ht\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-City-Hall-Public-Spaces-Renovation-by-Utile-Inc.-Boston-MA-3.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-72206\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/projects\/boston-city-hall-restoration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boston City Hall Public Spaces Renovation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/utile-inc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Utile<\/span><\/a><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>, Boston, MA<\/em>.\u00a0<em>Jury Winner, 2019 A+Awards, Plus-Architecture +Preservation. Photos by Anton Grassl<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preservationists tend to err on the side of authenticity, reinforced by standards set by original design intent. The discipline often replicates building parts and original materials that require replacement; yet, the preservation of modern architecture requires more flexibility and allows the structures to be <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">improved <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for today\u2019s sensibilities, rather than valuing absolute fidelity to their original iterations. In this sense, the renewed attention to mid-century concrete has pushed the traditional bounds of historic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/tps\/standards\/four-treatments\/treatment-preservation.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">preservation<\/a>. The recent example of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/stories\/worlds-ugliest-building-wins-major-architecture-award\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boston City Hall\u2019s redemption<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is telling in this regard; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/firms\/utile-inc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Utile Architects<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> embarked on the threefold task to \u201cdrastically transform the building\u2019s physical, ideological and emotional presence within the hearts and minds of the citizenry.\u201d Achieving this goal involved the significant reworking of features and parts of the program.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preservation, restoration and reconstruction tend to favor the original structure, either with maintenance and repair to return the building to its appearance at a particular moment in its past. On the other hand, rehabilitation is more future-oriented; it recognizes the need to alter or add to historic structures for them to continue existing in the present. In the case of Brutalism, rehabilitation offers an exciting opportunity to reimagine the perceived shortcomings of these much-maligned monuments, giving them a second chance at life \u2014 not only aesthetically, physically and structurally, but also in the public imagination. Given what we know about concrete\u2019s carbon cost and the importances of reusing existing structures rather than building new ones, this is also an exciting shift for the future of architecture. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Architects: Showcase your next project through\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/architizer.com\/register\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Architizer<\/i><\/span><\/a><i>\u00a0and sign up for our\u00a0<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/architizer\/newslettersubscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>inspirational newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a><i>. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rehabilitation is an exciting opportunity to reimagine the shortcomings of Brutalist buildings, giving them a second chance in the public imagination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":337,"featured_media":72201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"architizer_featured_type":"insert","architizer_featured_image":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[],"architizer_project":[12493,6456,12494],"architizer_brand":[],"architizer_firm":[12497,12496,12495],"architizer_product":[],"class_list":["post-72188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","category-stories","architizer_project-boston-city-hall-restoration","architizer_project-structure-lofts","architizer_project-zvonarka-central-bus-terminal","architizer_firm-chybikkristof-architects-urban-designers","architizer_firm-h2-hawkins-hawkins-architects-inc","architizer_firm-utile"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO 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