the inconspicuous space BY STUDIO sors.

There is little arguing that French architecture is synonymous with the world famous Haussmannian style. People travel to France from all over the world to marvel at the splendor of its stone facades, wrought iron details, and characteristic opulence.

Haussmann’s renovation of Paris ended in 1870, and the evolving French architecture looks radically different. Fast forward a hundred years, and a new landscape emerges in modernist design; Brutalism. The movement’s title derives from the Swedish phrase nybrutalism, a term coined by Swedish architect Hans Asplund to describe Villa Göth, a modern brick home built in Uppsala in 1950.

Growing in popularity throughout Europe in the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s, the movement translated into what is known today in France as “béton brut” or raw cement - the finished construction of raw elements like concrete, brick, and steel structures; a design concept that serves as an homage to the commoner, and a clear break from the ornate details of earlier French architecture. Béton Brut has had a lasting impression on the anthology of French architecture, leaving behind groundbreaking residences and public buildings throughout the country.