Brutalism, Metabolism and its American Parallel
2015; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 25; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/10331867.2015.1032482
ISSN2164-4756
Autores Tópico(s)Urbanization and City Planning
ResumoMassive, raw concrete structures – the likes of the Telecommunications Building (1972–81) by Janko Konstantinov; the campus of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University (1974) by Marko MušiČ; the National Hydraulic Institute (1972) by Krsto Todorovski; and the Bank Complex (1970) by R. Lalovik and O. Papeš – have led to the production of an enduring monumental presence and helped inspire Skopje's title as the “Brutalist capital of the world”. These works followed Kenzo Tange's introduction of Japanese Metabolism to Skopje through his role in the 1965 United Nations sponsored reconstruction competition. The unique position of a Non-Aligned Yugoslavia staged and facilitated architectural and professional exchange during the Cold War. Each trajectory and manifestation illustrates the complex picture of international architectural exchange and local production. Skopje and its numerous Brutalist edifices is an elucidative story, because it represents a meeting point between Brutalism, Metabolism and its American parallel.This article discusses, in particular, the Skopje Archive Building (1966) and the “Goce DelČev” Student Dormitory (1969) – two buildings designed by the architect Georgi Konstantinovski, realised on his return from a Masters program at Yale University and employment within I. M. Pei's New York office. Their architecture illustrates the simultaneous preoccupations of leading architects at the time in regaining a conceptual ground made explicit through a complete and apprehensible image. From this particular position, the article explores the question of ethics and aesthetics central to Banham's outline of the “New Brutalism”.
Referência(s)