Brutalist buildings around the world are in danger of demolition due to attacks from right-wing politicians, according to architecture historians.
Tim Verlaan, an assistant professor at the Amsterdam Centre for Urban History, said that an association between brutalism and left-leaning social policies has caused opposition to the architectural style from the right.
"Today, criticism on brutalism and modernism is mostly voiced by those on the far-right side of the political spectrum, precisely because of the association between modernism and the post-war welfare state," he told Dezeen.
Historian and author Barnabas Calder said the demonisation of brutalism is part of a broader, politically motivated shift towards more traditional styles of architecture. "The Trump programme was explicitly attacking brutalism and seeking a kind of stage-set fascism," he said, referring to an executive order issued by the former president.
Top image: Robin Hood Gardens was demolished in 2017 (Dezeen). Above: Trellick Tower (Steve Cadman via Wikimedia Commons)
"There are some very, very visible manifestations of the welfare state in brutalist architecture," Calder said, pointing to iconic structures including Trellick Tower, a social housing tower in London designed by Erno Goldfinger, and the Southbank Centre, a public art complex on the Thames.
Calder, who is the author of new book Raw Concrete and Architecture: From Prehistory to Climate Emergency, added that man...