The next exhibition held at the National Building Museum in Washington will tell the story of D.C.’s Brutalist architecture and its role in reshaping the city after mid-century.
Organized in collaboration with the Southern Utah Museum of Art, the exhibition features several imaginative re-designs from high-profile firms that posit future adaptations for seven public buildings that have become catalysts for debate. Studio Gang, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Brooks + Scarpa, Gensler, and BLDUS are the firms whose conceptual designs are included. Noted architectural photographer Ty Cole is a co-curator along with University of Oklahoma associate professor Dr. Angela Person.
Capital Brutalism opens on June 1st. It can be viewed alongside the current Frank Lloyd Wright's Southwestern Pennsylvania exhibition, which opened last month and will remain on view until March 17th of next year.
Re:Form – New Life for Old Spaces
Register by Wed, Jan 22, 2025
Submit by Tue, Sep 2, 2025
The Last Nuclear Bomb Memorial / Edition #5
Register by Thu, Jan 16, 2025
Submit by Wed, Feb 19, 2025
Land Art Generator Initiative 2025 Fiji: Climate Resilience for Island Communities
Register/Submit by Mon, May 5, 2025
MICROHOME Kingspan 2024/25
Register by Thu, Feb 13, 2025
Submit by Tue, Mar 18, 2025
2 Comments
"Capital Brutalism" is an odd title for the exhibition, given events of the last years.
It is unfortunate that all of the featured projects propose hyper-aggressive and destructive "re-imagining" of the original architects' work. The resulting implication is that DC's brutalist architecture is so bad that the original designs can't possibly be preserved.