ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book looks at the work from a chronological and geographical perspective. People in Britain associate Brutalism with concrete, the welfare state, housing estates and high-rise buildings – just one, thin slice of the Brutalist canon. It is a misconception shared by both the uninitiated wider population and, more problematically, by architects, and it has poisoned the subject matter. However appealing the site ‘Fuck Yeah Brutalism’ might be, its uncompromising portrayal of concrete buildings more often than not abstracted from their context only serves to perpetuate our misconception and misapprehension.
