Last month Phaidon published ‘This Brutal World’, a vast and wide-reaching celebration of Brutalism across the globe. We’ve caught up with the author, graphic designer and Brutalist enthusiast Peter Chadwick, to learn more about his research and discuss some of his personal architectural highlights.

Where did your interest in Brutalism originate from?
You could say it is ingrained in me – growing up in Middlesbrough in the late 70s and 80s I was surrounded to the north, east and west of the town by industrial steel works and chemical plants. In my youth I also vividly remember visiting Trinity Square car park in Gateshead, Flaine in the French Alps and, closer to home, the Apollo Pavilion in Peterlee. These early formative experiences of Luder and Gordon, Breuer and Passmore have clearly left a mark on me.

Who would you say are your three favourite architects?
This is a tough one – there are so many I could choose. Three of my favourites, in no particular order would be:

Owen Luder. Although Luder is, unfortunately, much maligned, I like his brave, sculptural, sci fi-like public constructions in concrete. Although both have now sadly been demolished, Trinity Square and the Tricorn Centre are definitely amongst my favourites. I am sure if they still stood today they’d have every chance of being listed.

Lina Bo Bardi. Although I’m yet to experience any of the Italian-born, Brazil-based architect’s work in person, her work seems to capture the essence and flair of South American life in concrete. Sublime.

Ernő Goldfinger. Both Trellick Tower in the 1990s and Balfron Tower in the ’00s have provided backdrops to my life in London. They both seem to reflect the forceful and abrupt nature of the architect’s character.

What would you say are the ‘best kept secrets’ of British Brutalism?
There are lots of amazing, but lesser-known, Brutalist buildings in the UK. Three of my favourites would have to be Peter Womersley’s Dingleton Asylum in Melrose, Wyndham Court in Southampton by Lyons Israel Ellis, and the anonymous Moorfield multi-storey car park in Truro, Cornwall.

If you could live in any residential Brutalist property in the UK, which would you choose?
I know it may seem obvious, but I’d have to choose an apartment in the Barbican Estate, preferably one with a lakeside view. I visit the Barbican regularly and it never ceases to amaze me with its interesting spaces, maze-like corridors, and the simple fact that Chamberlin, Powell & Bon knitted this beast into the post-war remnants of the City of London. It really is epic.

A close second would have to be Selkirk in the Scottish borders, in particular in the Bernat Klein Studio by Peter Womersley.

Your book talks about the legacy of Brutalism. How do you think the movement will continue to influence contemporary architecture?
It absolutely will continue having an influence. One of the main reasons for writing ‘This Brutal World’ was to review and reappraise the term Brutalism itself. As a movement it’s been very divisive – perhaps because of the WWII-like aesthetic, the imposing windowless facades, or the continued appropriation by the media wherever a dystopian backdrop is required. But, in my opinion there is a debt between the contemporary work of Herzog & de Meuron, Zaha Hadid and David Chipperfield, among others, to the older post-war buildings in the Brutalist canon.

The Hemeroscopium House is Madrid by Ensamble Studio is a wonderful example of contemporary Brutal architecture.

Peter’s book is now available here.