On the 6th of July, year 5 had a very special day. Architecture day! We learned about Brutalism and how Frederick Gibberd, known for his brutalist style of architecture, designed Harlow. We also had a go at creating our own model villages.
Brutalism
Brutalism, in fact, has nothing to do with brutality. After World War II, millions of people were left homeless. The British Government decided to use what they had which was sand and stone, the main ingredients of concrete. They made buildings and towers out of rough concrete as it was cheap to make. Brutalism is derived from ‘Béton brut’ (raw concrete).
Fredrick Gibberd
Fredrick Gibberd was born in Coventry and had a horrible experience of his town being blitzed. When he grew up, he designed Fulwell Cross Library and co-ordinated the design of Harlow New Town. He used a lot of concrete in his designs thereby giving him a reputation as a Brutalist Architect.
Our Brutalist Designs
We also had limited resources: cardboard, tape and glue. We worked in teams discussing, planning and designing our own Brutalist-style towns. We think we came up with some pretty good designs!
By Alex and Joseph
