Major British brutalist buildings have been added to the endangered monuments list, the ‘Watch’ list, of the World Monuments Fund (WMF), as Preston bus station and part of the South Bank centre in London have been listed as among the world’s most endangered structures.
WMF reports:
The inclusion of three twentieth-century British buildings on the Watch underscores the risk to modern architecture around the world, especially those in what is commonly referred to as the brutalist style, derived from the French term “betón brut,” meaning “raw concrete.” Characterized by bold geometries, the exposure of structural materials, and functional spatial design, brutalist architecture was also an expression of social progressivism. Such monumental structures date from a time when municipal authorities had the financial resources and the political will to contribute major civic buildings to the public realm.
The Preston Bus Station is a bold concrete structure providing an integrated car parking, bus, and taxi facility. Upon its completion in 1969, it was the world’s largest bus station. It is now slated for demolition as part of a redevelopment scheme. Birmingham Central Library is a monumental concrete structure in the civic center of the city. It consists of two linked elements: a seven-story reference library, square in plan, and a lending library in a curving three story wing. It is the largest non-national library in Europe. It, too, is threatened with demolition for redevelopment purposes. Upon its completion in 1976, London’s South Bank Centre was deemed a visionary combination of performance spaces and an art gallery, but it continues to be denied heritage status.
Over the past decade the Twentieth Century Society has been a constant advocate for these three buildings. Despite recommendations by English Heritage for national listing, none of the three has achieved protective status. With two scheduled for demolition, there is an urgent need to raise awareness, appreciation, and local pride in the significance of brutalist architecture in general. These three buildings typify new brutalism, dramatically sited, uncompromising in their stark use of concrete and powerfully sculptural forms; they brought a sense of the monumental to the British urban scene. It is hoped that listing on the Watch will prompt a dialogue about protection and alternatives for adaptive reuse.
Twentieth Century Society Article: LINK
Planning Blog: LINK
WMF Article: LINK
