With the launch of Archinect's Brutal coffee we've decided to take a look at the Brutalist architecture of the two regions our beans have originated. A two part feature, today we explore the history of Brazil's Brutalist movement and how the iconic style has influenced the country. Stay tuned for the next part, looking at Brutalism in Guatemala. 

Other than focusing on the pure materiality of these structures, Brutalism within Brazil can be interpreted as a beautiful expression of monumentality and its complementary nature to Brazil's lush landscapes. Once dissected into further detail, iconic designers like Italian-Brazilian architect, Lina Bo Bardi used the cultural makeup of the city, married with the honest materiality of Brutalism, to highlight the social and cultural potential of architecture in Brazil.

As a response to a specific moment in history, Brutalism has had a fickle love affair with architects, designers, and architectural enthusiasts. Either applauded for its relatively inexpensive democratic approach to design, or highly scrutinized for its overly communist expression, the much-discussed design movement stood its ground in popularity over time. 

Often misunderstood, Brutalism finds its roots from the modernist movement dating back to Le Corbusier's term béton brut (bare concrete). A phrase Le Corbusier coined as a result of needing to find a cost-effective solution to overburdened construction companies during the construction of Unité d’Habitation in France. The term eventually made an influence on a few British architects who eventually coined the term.

By 1950, the post-war avant-garde style was popularized by British architects Alison and Peter Smithson. In collaboration with architectural critic Reyner Banham, the name's origin refers to the French brut meaning raw. During its early conception, brutalist buildings merely referred to structures that were made without ornate decoration or plaster. Brick, steel, or concrete were the common building materials represented of the movement's structures. Soon the movement becoming a global phenomenon. These exposed, utilitarian, non-ornate structures could be found all over, boldly challenging the current stylistic trends of the time. With structures developing in countries like England, Japan, India, and the United States, the simplistically rough design style eventually found its way to South America. Here, the movement developed and flourished in its own way thanks to architects like Lina Bo Bardi and Paulo Mendes da Rocha. 

Hitting an all time peak from 1950 - 1970, Brutalist architecture has left a rather large imprint on the architectural timeline of many countries. Throughout its heavy presence in many South American countries, Brazilian Brutalism is a topic that denotes much discussion due to its unique circumstances when the movement made its way to the country. Although it may have several aesthetic traits similar to buildings in other parts of the world, Brazil at the time, was not largely affected by WWII. This allowed for the design movement to affect the country in a way that helped influence the cultural and architectural identity of the region.

As a tropical climate, the land is filled with large trees that appear to over take the land. The large monumental buildings almost complement their green counterparts, calling attention to understanding where these spaces shifted from inside vs. outside, public vs. private. The integration of such contrasting yet complementary features provides an interesting dialogue within Brazil's infrastructure. This particular framework brings to question the transitional moments of where these structures provided a new understanding of an indoor/outdoor feel. 

Whether the intention of blurring the lines between what was built for space and what was built out of it, Brazilian Brutalism allows for these structures to naturally contrast with the rich surroundings of the country. The material honesty with Brutalism's grandeur expression of monumentality and its relationship to the land is what makes the structural experiences of Brazilian Brutalism so different in comparison to other countries like the UK. The arrangement and relationship between interior and exterior space is what allows for these structures in Brazil to age gracefully with the country.