Le Corbusier and UK Brutalism
The architectural philosophy of Le Corbusier heavily influenced the post-war Brutalist movement in the UK, leading to concrete high-rise estates like the Trellick Tower.
Following the devastation of WWII, the UK faced a massive housing shortage. Influenced by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier and his concept of the 'Unité d'habitation', British architects embraced Modernism and Brutalism to solve the crisis.
Brutalism (derived from the French 'béton brut', meaning raw concrete) favored monumental, functional structures built quickly and cheaply. 'Streets in the sky' became the dominant philosophy for high-density social housing in the 1960s and 70s.
Ernő Goldfinger
Prominent examples include the Trellick Tower in London, designed by Ernő Goldfinger. While initially hailed as utopian solutions, many of these concrete estates suffered from poor maintenance, damp, and social issues, leading to a massive backlash against high-rise living by the 1980s.