The Butantã Residence

Above photo: Butantã Residence designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha located in São Paulo, Brazil and completed in 1964. Photo: Nelson Kon for ArchDaily.com.

Often items that look rough or ‘brutal’ get mislabeled as ‘Brutalist’. Brutalism, certainly a divisive style, is an architectural form that rose to prominence after WWII (due mainly to the need for a quick rebuilding of Europe after the war) and derives its name from the French phrase ‘Béton Brut’ (meaning ‘raw concrete’) for cast-in-place concrete structures. While most Brutalist architecture took the form of large scale public buildings the style was sometimes found in residential spaces like this home, the Butantã Residence, designed by Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, located in São Paulo, Brazil and completed in 1964.

We’ll be exploring Brutalism as an architectural style and the recent misuse of the term when applied to furniture and décor in a future article.

The Butanta House, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, 1964. Photo: Nelson Kon for ArchDaily

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