Peter Smithson
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Peter Smithson was a British architect, known for his collaboration with his wife, Alison Smithson. Together, they are credited with designing the Hunstanton Secondary Modern School in Norfolk, England (1954), which is widely regarded as the first example of New Brutalism. This architectural style is characterized by the stark presentation of materials and structure, often featuring exposed steel, brickwork, and conduits. Their later works include the Economist Building Group in London and the Robin Hood Gardens housing project.12
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BrutalismPeter Smithson first used the term New Brutalism in 1954 to describe the post-1930 designs of the major French architect Le Corbusier. His interpretation of the modern movement involved the use of monumental sculptural shapes and of raw, unfinished molded concrete, an approach that, in…
Read MorePeter Smithson first used the term New Brutalism in 1954 to describe the post-1930 designs of the major French architect Le Corbusier. His interpretation of the modern movement involved the use of monumental sculptural shapes and of raw, unfinished molded concrete, an approach that, in…
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Western architectureAfter World War IISecondary School, Norfolk (1949–54), by Peter and Alison Smithson. An example of what became known as the New Brutalism, this building was influenced by Mies van der Rohe. Most New Brutalist buildings, however, owed more to Le Corbusier’s late work—for example, the gray concrete masses of Denys Lasdun’s University of…
Read MoreSecondary School, Norfolk (1949–54), by Peter and Alison Smithson. An example of what became known as the New Brutalism, this building was influenced by Mies van der Rohe. Most New Brutalist buildings, however, owed more to Le Corbusier’s late work—for example, the gray concrete masses of Denys Lasdun’s University of…
Read More