What about… BRUTALISM?
A close-up of the exterior concrete surface of the NAC.
Photo: Exterior surface, NAC
It has been said that brutalist architecture is “unloved but not unlovely.” Beyond the monolithic, opaque, concrete façades are buildings filled with drama, mystery, and strong civic focus. In the postwar building boom and leading up to the Centennial, grand and heroic ideals of civic welfare and cultural identity were translated into a new vision for Ottawa. The strong character of brutalist architecture embodied renewed hope, stability, and humanity. Ironically, today we tend to misread these buildings as imposing and inhuman “eyesores.”
Understanding the values and ideals behind these plans and buildings helps us to question what went wrong when they became built realities instead of Utopian visions. The tour will explore a variety of examples of brutalist projects throughout Ottawa's downtown core; major and minor, town and crown, public and private, built and unbuilt. These include institutional civic projects (National Arts Centre, Main Library), the federal civil service (DND), commercial and corporate development, and major urban plans for renewal, infrastructure and beautification (canal, Mackenzie King Bridge).
Bonus Round:
Following the walk, meet us at the entrance of the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library for “What about… THE LIBRARY?” an interactive mini-workshop activity. This activity is an ongoing project that proposes alternative ways to hold public discussions about the “library of the future” by walking through existing libraries and remembering the libraries of your past. The activity takes about fifteen minutes. Following that, participants can join us for a discussion at a location near the library to be determined based on weather and size of group.
Sign-up required to attend the Bonus Round
Because we'll be invading the library, we need to limit the group size. If you would like to participate in the Bonus Round, please sign-up here: sign up
You can learn more about the interactive workshop activity here: culturalmemoryworkshops.ca/program/session-9-tbd/
