The last time Cari and John were in London, we shared a gallery from their time there. A number of people have reached out for a second round of Brutalist architecture vignettes…

My fondest memories of architecture college were field studies. Each year, our studio would visit a different city and study the parti, or motif diagrams, of inspiring or influential buildings. It was on these trips we’d document buildings with film cameras; usually a mix of medium format and 35 mm, along with watercolor studies and sketchbooks.

The last architecture project I worked on as a professional was the Sky House, that featured a stainless steel wormhole slide, where I made extensive 2D and 3D drawings for complex forms… Photos by Dean Kaufman

This was in an era when pro-level digital cameras were very expensive and often required tethering to a computer. Point-and-shoot pocket cameras were more attainable, but film and processing were cheap. On these trips I’d shoot with my grandfather’s Canon AE-1 P. After dozens of rolls of film, I’d get prints made since there was no use for scans or digital files. Unfortunately, those prints and negatives are long gone, but I’ve held onto what I learned during these trips throughout my adult life. For eleven years, all of my energy was dedicated to creating and documenting spaces. Fundamentally, these spatial design and documentation tenets have shaped who I am today.

Fast-forward to The Radavist era. Cari and I don’t often get to take proper holidays or vacations, so we try to pad on a few extra days before big outings like Bespoked UK to decompress a bit. London is a dreamy place in spring. The overcast and cloudy skies saturate colors and make high-noon photos look all the more dreamy.

While soaking in the textures, colors, and sights of cities, I pack my Leica M10 and its 50 mm Summilux lens. Its small, compact size makes it easy on my mind and body as compositions can be made on the fly, all in a surprisingly unassuming package. Unlike my Canon bayonet, which is tack sharp and lacks personality, the Leica glass offers a softened look, heightened by a cloudy overcast London sky.

The urban fabric found in places like London are like a drop of acid into my mind’s eye. A post-WWII construction surge brought about expansive public squares and minimalist concrete forms. Stunning spaces are everywhere and brutalist architecture contrasts against its context. Light pours through windows onto surfaces. A simple afternoon walk can turn into a full analysis of a building’s circulation, form, and intent. While these aren’t complete building studies – a rather difficult feat in dense urban fabrics with only a 50 mm lens – the compositions capture what I believe to be at least one of the subject’s parti.

Many of these buildings, like the Tate Modern by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron for example, were hugely influential during my architecture education. Years later, walking into the Turbine Hall still brings me great joy. I’ll spend hours pining over the forms, unlocking geometric relationships. While the Tate is not a Brutalist building per se, it fits within the genre with its folding façades and cantilevered green glass rooms. Speaking of fitting within, the addition of the Louise Bourgeois Maman spider in the hall is a chef’s kiss.

Concrete and cloudy skies never get old. Space House was recently renovated, and the fenestration detail along the repeated façade is a sight to behold, casting a dark blue to silver ombré. It’s these color contrasts that make Brutalist architecture so appealing to document.

Architects often use colors in their early design sketches to showcase programmatic hierarchies or illustrate simple themes. While the staircases in the Southbank Centre have been painted yellow in recent years, this surface treatment communicates where the stair corridors are throughout the expansive concrete project site. The splash of color brightens up even the cloudiest London afternoons.

To all who requested this piece, thank you, it got these photos off a hoard drive and onto this website. While these quick handheld photos aren’t complete evaluations of the buildings, I feel that they capture their spirit. Even though I haven’t worked officially in the field of architecture for over a decade, these design principles heavily influenced my style of shooting bicycles and has fundamentally altered the lens through which I view the world.

Showcased in this gallery is the SOAS, Brunswick Centre, National Theatre, Southbank Centre, Tate Modern, and Space House. Enjoy!