From the concrete 'city within a city' of the Barbican Centre, the 'ugliest building on the Thames' (the National Theatre), to social housing schemes like Robin Hood Gardens and Balfron Tower – by the 1950s, Brutalist architecture was popping up across London (and the UK). Even London Zoo got the concrete treatment, with it’s grade II listed elephant and rhinoceros enclosure.
But as political agendas and social attitudes changed throughout the 20th century, did Brutalism stand the test of time? And what remains of it today? Come along with Reece as he travels across London to reveal how this radical architectural style brought some of the most iconic – and divisive – buildings to the city.
Watch more episodes from his new series 'Reece’s Alternative Guide to Architecture'.
