Critique Welcomed Brutalist Architecture

[Stevenson Gawen]

This little series is the result of an evening in Belconnen, a suburb of Canberra. The buildings are all part of the Cameron Offices, some of which have been demolished, and the ones remaining are actually looking a bit out of place with massive new shiny, glassy highrise buildings sprouting up around them.

I find architecture interesting to photograph - not sure if I have fully grasped it yet.


This one below has a little story to go with it:

Me: trying to balance tripod at edge of shrubbery.
Indian security guard: appears on walkway at top left of frame. Says,"Hey! What are you try to click?"
Me: What?
Guard: "What are you trying to CLICK!"
Me: Oh... the architecture!
Guard: Looks all around in puzzlement,"Um, ok. I suppose that's alright..."
Me: Thanks!
Guard: "Will you be here long?"
Me: "No, another few minutes."
Guard: "OK, because the residents...." Walks away shaking his head.
Me: Takes photo and moves on.

 

[Brian Moore]

Excellent. (I'm partial to brutalist architecture and photograph brutalist buildings whenever I see them.) I appreciate how you've kept the perspectives true on these, Stevenson, even though you're clearly aiming the camera up in some. I expect some dimwitted civil servant will be calling these buildings ugly and advocating for their destruction. That would be a pity; they look to be fine examples of their type.

 

[Stevenson Gawen]

Excellent. (I'm partial to brutalist architecture and photograph brutalist buildings whenever I see them.) I appreciate how you've kept the perspectives true on these, Stevenson, even though you're clearly aiming the camera up in some. I expect some dimwitted civil servant will be calling these buildings ugly and advocating for their destruction. That would be a pity; they look to be fine examples of their type.

Thank you Brian, than means a lot! Yes, I like true perspective, where buildings are concerned. I don't have the budget for a tilt-shift lens so it's a combination of getting as far back as possible (not much sometimes!) and then correcting it in Darktable. Works fine, although I'd still like a TS...

Incidentally, in researching these, I discovered the architect, the late John Andrews, also designed several buildings in the USA and Canada, including (jointly) the CN Tower... Wikipedia has a list of buildings he designed, which led me to discover another in Canberra, the Callam Offices... weird but wonderful. Google link: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Callam+Offices/@-35.3431609,149.087632,17.87z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x6b17b4a50531bc17:0xa7a1e5b6d927af37!8m2!3d-35.3432255!4d149.0885587!16s/g/1hm4dw6l9?entry=ttu

 

[Pete Askew]

I like these a lot also and you seem to have captured both the form and feel of the builds as well as there ravages of time. A super series.

 

[Julian Tanase]

All lines and cubic shapes, interlocked in what the today's urban / cityscape calls "spatial arrangement", morphologically modifying the urban fabric. Not on everyone's liking (the style) but the photographs are awesomely showing the cube and its extension in our daily life in the large cities. Not that the plain concrete is doing any favours to the environment, at least this is what I heard.

Again, not everybody loves these kind of buildings or the feeling they render, but they are interesting nonetheless, showing our own mind of continuing sharing space with our fellow humans.

Again, great photographs, congrats!!!​

 

[Stevenson Gawen]

All lines and cubic shapes, interlocked in what the today's urban / cityscape calls "spatial arrangement", morphologically modifying the urban fabric. Not on everyone's liking (the style) but the photographs are awesomely showing the cube and its extension in our daily life in the large cities. Not that the plain concrete is doing any favours to the environment, at least this is what I heard.

Again, not everybody loves these kind of buildings or the feeling they render, but they are interesting nonetheless, showing our own mind of continuing sharing space with our fellow humans.

Again, great photographs, congrats!!!​

Thank you Julian! A friend suggested these buildings would be an interesting subject - I'm grateful for that otherwise I may not have thought of it to be honest. I wasn't sure what I'd get when I arrived either - but as you put it, 'cube' is a large component!

Been wondering what living in one of these would be like... not at all sure...

 

[Julian Tanase]

I can tell you it's a completely different environment, one that not everyone can get used to. Not bad, just different.

I should know, I live in one such place. But then again, that's modern city to you...

 

[Stevenson Gawen]

I can tell you it's a completely different environment, one that not everyone can get used to. Not bad, just different.

I should know, I live in one such place. But then again, that's modern city to you...

Mmm, yes, well, I live 20km from the nearest village or township as we'd say, and the nearest other house is about 1km away... so I don't have that experience normally!

 

[Geoff Chaplin]

"I find architecture interesting to photograph - not sure if I have fully grasped it yet. " They look way better than mine (which maybe isn't saying much) but they look brilliant to me!

 

[Stevenson Gawen]

"I find architecture interesting to photograph - not sure if I have fully grasped it yet. " They look way better than mine (which maybe isn't saying much) but they look brilliant to me!

Thanks Geoff! That's nice to hear. Although I'm sure yours are better than you say!

 

[Ralph Turner]

Superb set