Brutalist Architecture in Greater Paris: History, Legacy and Prospects
- jean-francois Naturel
- Oct 24
- 7 min read
Brutalist architecture Paris: introduction
Enigmatic, massive, and rugged, brutalist architecture leaves no one indifferent. Often constructed from simple, raw concrete, it shapes urban landscapes with bold, geometric and monumental forms. In Greater Paris, this architectural style has shaped many neighborhoods since the 1950s, driven by major development projects and modernist utopias.
Often criticized for its apparent coldness and ugliness, Brutalism is today rediscovered, sometimes appreciated and even protected by defenders of a certain form of built heritage, that of the 20th century. Well documented, often photographed, it is now regarded as an architectural heritage in its own right , witness to an era where reconstruction could be accompanied by innovation.
As a photographer of Greater Paris, I am fascinated by this brutalist architecture with its harsh lines and raw textures. I like to photograph these urban atmospheres that this raw architecture distils into the urban landscape. This is why you will find on my site some galleries dedicated to this architecture as well as numerous publications on my Instagram page @grandparisjef .
In this article, I invite you to explore with me the brutalist architecture of Paris and Greater Paris : its history, some emblematic places, its natural relationship with photography, and the challenges of its preservation.
I. The origins of brutalism
The term "brutalism" comes from the French expression béton brut , used by Le Corbusier to designate the flagship material of his buildings , such as the Cité Radieuse in Marseille. But it was in the United Kingdom, in the 1950s, that the movement took its name and its contemporary form, with architects like Alison and Peter Smithson, who truly conceptualized this style, through buildings with abrupt finishes without any ambition for refinement. The idea is not to please but to provide a habitat that is easy to build and functional.
In France, brutalism developed from the 1950s , in a context of post-war reconstruction, population growth and industrialization. The State built collective housing, public facilities and university residences in all directions. Concrete was economical, quick to pour, and lent itself to the most daring experiments . It was therefore possible to build quickly and with a certain freedom for the architect, close to the mason here .
Brutalism became the symbol of a social vision of architecture : to house people en masse, to educate, to care for them. It is an architecture that is committed, utilitarian, militant, expressive and direct, proud of its materials, its structures, its lines and its social function.
II. Brutalism in Greater Paris: some emblematic places
Greater Paris is home to an incredible diversity of Brutalist buildings. While Paris itself boasts a few, it is primarily in the inner suburbs (now Greater Paris) that this style is most powerfully expressed, often on a large scale.
Les Choux de Créteil: a social utopia in concrete
It is one of the most famous complexes in Greater Paris , the Choux de Créteil , designed by the architect Gérard Grandval, was built between 1969 and 1974. Its name comes from the balconies in the shape of petals or leaves, which cling around the cylindrical towers like vegetation of raw concrete. For the record, the territory on which it was built housed a factory manufacturing... cabbages!
It was necessary to innovate : to break the overly strict verticality of the classic bars and to unite nature and concrete in a form of connection in a bold architectural gesture. These towers then become hybrid dwellings between the tree and the modernist-inspired urban tower .
Long mocked , still often hated today, they are today the subject of a heritage revaluation. For the photographer, what a playground these icons of poetic brutalism are .
The Aillaud Towers in Nanterre: total and contested art in the suburbs
Just a stone's throw from the La Défense business district, the Aillaud Towers , also known as the "Cloud Towers," are a real eye-catcher. Designed by Émile Aillaud and decorated by Fabio Rieti, these towers, some of which are over 30 stories high, have rounded shapes and are covered in frescoes depicting clouds, skies, and gradients. Their designer wanted people to be able to " inhabit the place poetically ." To be honest, poetry has somewhat disappeared today...
Through this massive architectural project , the aim was to create a unique universe, a dreamlike landscape of concrete and mosaics where the inhabitant could appropriate his living space as a "poet". The concrete is tamed by the curve, animated by the colors. This did not prevent the former President of the Republic Valéry Giscard d'Estaing from expressing "How horrible!" upon discovering them. And it is true that they never achieved unanimous approval . There was even talk of demolishing them. But that was without counting on the defenders of 20th century heritage. Today they are saved, both from demolition and financial speculation, and they are currently being renovated.
For the photographer , these towers offer an exciting challenge : how to capture the scale, the abundance, the tension between abstraction and habitat? At every angle, a new interpretation. But it is often in the details that this architecture reveals all its radical strangeness, and this is a treat for the minimalist photographer.
The “Camemberts” of Noisy-le-Grand, science fiction in Seine-Saint-Denis
In the Pavé Neuf district of Noisy-le-Grand, there is a strange collection of social housing units shaped like stacked discs . Nicknamed “the Camemberts” by locals, these circular buildings are both lunar and futuristic.
This highly original construction , which is rarely the case in collective housing, is due to the architect Manuel Nunez Yanowski. It pushes the place towards science fiction , towards a sort of immobile space conquest. It is an artistic creation, the mental conception of a neighborhood that has everything of a film set. The whole forms a surprisingly silent place, with a "Greco-futuristic agora" side.
This type of architecture, rare in Seine-Saint-Denis, almost invites reflection . It fascinates, sometimes disturbing with its somewhat overwhelming monumental aspect, and often disconcerts. And that is its power of fascination.
The Palacio d'Abraxas, the (disturbing) concrete theatre
It is impossible to talk about visionary brutalism without mentioning the Palacio d'Abraxas , a work by the Catalan Ricardo Bofill , built in the late 1970s. Located in Noisy-le-Grand, it forms a monumental ensemble inspired by Antiquity and Baroque theatre — but in concrete.
However, be careful, the place is now dangerous and its prison-like appearance is quite distressing.
Gigantic columns, overwhelming symmetries, monumental staircases, closed patios: all of this forms a closed, almost disturbing “city”. The place has also served as a backdrop for films such as Brazil or The Hunger Games , further reinforcing its dystopian aspect . It is clearly a place that we are happy to have seen (there are guided tours organized by local residents!) and that we are happy to leave .
Here, brutalism becomes fiction, a Netflix series. It tells us a story, it gets political. For the photographer, if the place is aesthetic in its own way, it is difficult to achieve anything other than massiveness and weight and to escape this futuristic and distressing setting. Without really knowing why, I thought of George Orwell's 1984. I must admit that I am not a fan of either the place or the architecture, which seems to me to seriously lack humanity, which, let us remember, is not the primary vocation of social architecture.
III. Photography and Brutalism: A Natural Encounter
If brutalism attracts so many professional and amateur photographers, it is undoubtedly because this architecture offers a formidable photographic playground, both simple and graphic with easily decipherable structures, shapes and perspectives .
Raw concrete reveals, at certain times of the day, striking contrasts of light . The angular volumes generate hard shadows, repetitive rhythms, natural geometric compositions. The absence of decoration allows the gaze to focus on pure forms , textures, structural details and thus to highlight the lines. In addition, it is very interesting from a photographic point of view to explore the vanishing perspectives, and to play with natural light on the concrete. It is surprising to see how "flexible" raw concrete can be depending on the light and despite the monumental scale of the place.
Photographing Brutalist architecture is almost like participating in art history and engaging in artistic creation. Poetry isn't just found among poets.
IV. Brutalism Today: Between Preservation and Disappearance
Today, many Brutalist buildings are under threat . Victims of their negative image, their aging, and a dilapidation that is often difficult for their inhabitants to live with, they are often perceived as a blot on the contemporary city. Misunderstood, or victims of real estate speculation, they are hastily renovated or simply demolished.
This is the case in certain parts of the Damiers in Courbevoie, or in social housing that has been brutally "rehabilitated" (the height of irony!) and in disregard of its original architecture.
However, voices are being raised to defend these constructions, through associations, heritage architects, artist collectives or local residents .
There has been a real resurgence of interest in these often despised buildings , and many efforts are being made, particularly by heritage protection associations and the inhabitants of these places, to change our view of this brutalist architecture.
Conclusion
The brutalist architecture of Greater Paris is a unique heritage , both historical and social, political and aesthetic . It embodies an era of faith in modernity, an ambitious, often utopian vision. Long neglected, it is now returning to the gaze of photographers, architects, artists... and residents, because yes, some of these places are sought after!
Through my photo galleries dedicated to brutalist architecture, I wish to convey a little of the singular beauty of these fragile concrete giants, their aesthetic strength and their strangeness too. I hope to inspire you to go and see for yourself and participate in the rediscovery of this powerful, beautiful, functional and artistic architecture .
This blog post is only the first in a series that I intend to develop, as the subject is so rich in perspectives for the urban architecture photographer that I am.
Feel free to suggest other places to explore or share your thoughts in the comments. Brutalism isn't over yet.