Roberto Conte photographs Madrid's brutalist architecture

Roberto Conte's latest photography series explores Madrid's brutalist architecture to draw attention to a style not usually associated with the Spanish capital.

The photographer, whose work often depicts concrete modernist and brutalist buildings, captured a selection of Madrileño brutalism that includes the Torres Blancas by Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oíz and a Le Corbusier-informed church by Cecilio Sanchez-Robles Taríns.

Top image: the Cultural Heritage Institute of Spain. Above: the Beatriz building from 1968

Conte first visited Madrid in 2008, when he was struck by the city's "vibrant energy" as well as its architecture, and returned last year.

"In the summer of quite a challenging year, 2020, I had a job assignment in the Castile region and I considered it also as a great opportunity to finally dedicate some time to discover more of this beautiful city," he told Dezeen.

"I did some research before leaving and I was amazed by the architecture I was finding, which is way less known than it deserves to be."

Buildings in the series include the Department of Information Sciences from 1971

He decided to capture Madrid's architecture, with a specific focus on brutalism as Conte felt it hadn't been fully documented previously.

"I focused on brutalism in particular both because it's a 'concrete line' that has driven my personal research for many years and because it's a term that usually not associated with Madrid," he explained.

"The city that automatically triggers other associations and that makes it even more interesting in my point of view."

Inside the Cultural Heritage Institute, nicknamed the Crown of Thorns

Nearly all the buildings in the series were built by architects who were from Spain, and sometimes from the city itself. They were largely constructed in the 1960s, 70s and 80s in "a period of gradual and progressive liberation of Spain from Francoism," said Conte.

Dictator Francisco Franco ruled Spain from 1939 until 1975 after overthrowing the democratic republic in the Spanish Civil War.

The 25-storey Torres Blancas, perhaps the most famous building in the series

The oldest and probably best-known building in the series is the Torres Blancas, designed in 1961 and initially meant to be part of a pair.

The 71-metre-high building, with its cylindrical details that lend it an organic feel, is Conte's own favourite.

"It's an incredible building, with cylindrical elements that intersect each other in an ascensional progression that is reminiscent of some Japanese metabolist solutions," Conte said. "Moreover, each detail of the building is absolutely interesting."

The building has striking cylindrical elements

To do it justice, Conte came back and shot the tower at different times of the day, a method he also used for the Cultural Heritage Institute of Spain by Fernando Higueras Díaz and Antonio Miró Valverde.

Conte believes the imposing building (top image), nicknamed Corona del Espinosas or Crown of Thorns for its unusual crowning, is one of the buildings that best represent brutalism in Spain.

Edificio Princesa has verdant hanging gardens

Díaz and Valverde are also behind another project in the series, the residential Edificio Princesa. The architects created the building, which has wide horizontal balconies and a facade softened by hanging gardens, together with Carlos García Rodríguez in 1967.

Conte's series has 21 images in total and features a mix of educational buildings, company headquarters such as the 1966 IBM office building, residential complexes, and even ecclesiastical architecture.

The concrete exterior of Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Filipina

Tarín's Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Filipina is shown from both the exterior, with its large concrete fins and a stylised cross, and interior, which has a decorative undulating roof and a clever light-effect that illuminates the altar.

A similar solution was used for the other church in the series, the church of Santa Ana y la Esperanza by Miguel Fisac Serna.

Los Cubos, 1974, the only building in the series designed by a non-Spanish architecture team

All the projects featured are made by Spanish architects, apart from the Los Cubos building by the French team of Michel Andrault, Pierre Parat, Aydin Guvan and Alain Capieu.

"The building, with clear metabolist influences, may evoke the Ministry of Highway Construction (now headquarters of the Bank of Georgia) built in the same years in Tbilisi, back then Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic," Conte notes.

Though the other architects in the series are all Spanish, Conte points out that their designs, too, were globally informed.

"The political situation probably helped to assign the design of those buildings to local architects, but each of them had his very personal story, and – at the same time – each of them was strongly influenced by how modern and brutalist architecture was developing in the rest of the world," he said.

Roberto Conte has been an architecture photographer since 2006 and is based in Italy. His previous work includes a series showcasing Le Corbusier's concrete buildings in Chandigarh and photos of post-war architecture in Georgia.

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Watch our talk with TP Bennett on the design of post-pandemic office spaces

Dezeen teamed up with architecture firm TP Bennett for a talk exploring how the rise of home working has revealed a need for better-designed office spaces.

Since the coronavirus crisis was declared a global pandemic in March 2020, huge numbers of workers around the world have been forced to work from home. Companies have had to rapidly develop new ways for employees to connect with each other, blurring the boundaries between work and home.

With mass vaccination drives and easing of lockdowns likely to spark a return to the office for many, this panel discussion explored what the rise of home working can teach architects about designing better office spaces.

Cristiano Testo, principal director of TP Bennett

Moderated by Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, the panel featured TP Bennett principal director Cristiano Testi and Sonya Simmonds, head of Workplace, Design and Build at Spotify.

The panel discussed how workspace design can be improved for a post-pandemic future, how architects can help to design inclusive and accessible offices, and the importance of designing comfortable office spaces for the wellbeing of workers.

The panel also discussed how design can help to reflect a company's identity and culture, and empower workers to reach their goals.

Sonya Simmonds, head of Workplace, Design and Build at Spotify

TP Bennett is a British architecture firm with offices in London and Manchester. Founded in 1921, the firm is celebrating its centenary this year.

The firm has designed several office spaces including Windmill Green, a derelict 1970s office building in Manchester that the firm refurbished into an "ultra sustainable" mixed-use office building.

Having already designed Spotify's London office, TP Bennett is currently designing the company's Amsterdam, Boston, Dubai and Berlin workspaces as well.

This talk was produced by Dezeen for TP Bennett as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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"Multiform is the architectural manifestation of our present moment"

A new transitional architecture movement, dubbed Multiform, has emerged as modernist ideals gives way to digitally dominated thinking, says Owen Hopkins.

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Economics is often talked about in terms of cycles. There are periods of economic growth followed by stagnation and recession. Then after a time the economy starts growing again and the cycle repeats. It's the natural ebb and flow of macroeconomics.

Every so often, however, there's a 'supercycle'. This is when technological innovation reaches a critical mass and sets off an explosion leading to a new phase of long-term economic growth. The usual business cycles still play out, but do so within the encompassing supercycle, which over time reshapes almost every aspect of the economy.

Modernism was a supercycle, setting the architectural agenda for half a century

Architecture follows a similar pattern. This is partly due to the close relationship between construction and the broader economic situation. But architectural cycles also emerge through changes internal to the discipline, as we develop new ways of thinking about and responding to the material and cultural changes of the world in which architecture is practised.

By this definition, modernism was a supercycle, setting the architectural agenda for half a century. Post-modernism is usually seen as marking the end of the modernist supercycle, but could instead and rather more interestingly be seen as the start of the next – a supercycle that has also lasted nearly half a century and is now coming to an end.

Today, the question is what comes next. If modernism emerged in response to the advent of the production line, electrification and the motor car, and postmodernism was the architecture of cable TV, de-industrialisation and consumerism, then the next supercycle will be driven by what is sometimes called the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

This is the new world of automation, the 'smart city', the Internet of Things and the total erosion of the distinction between the digital and physical worlds.

Although the pandemic has certainly accelerated many of these trends, we aren't there yet. Instead, the present moment is one of transition.

 The next supercycle will be driven by what is sometimes called the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Looking back, we see such transitional moments manifested architecturally in aesthetic and ideological pluralism, as the unravelling of the previous supercycle allows new ideas to break free. This was the case with modernism, whose early history saw a battle between different 'isms', and it also characterised the competing ideas and ideologies of postmodernism's early 'radical moment'.

And so it is the case with Multiform – the name I use to describe a new and vital sensibility emerging in contemporary architecture and design. Multiform is not a style, but the architectural manifestation of our present moment of profound political, economic and cultural flux.

It is hard to define something that in its very nature is marked by hybridity, heterogeneity and multiplicity. Multiform quite literally takes multiple forms, but can be loosely characterised by design tactics such as collage, reference, quotation, and the bold and expressive use of colour, ornament and materials.

This has led the Multiform tendency to be mis-characterised as postmodern revival, and written off as simply fashion. But this is to fundamentally underestimate its importance and implications. In so far as Multiform appropriates certain design tactics of postmodernism, it does so because of the equivalence between that moment of transition and our present one.

Rather than a stylistic choice, Multiform represents an attempt at engaging with the aesthetic, ideological and environmental chaos of the contemporary world. Rather than pursue one particular agenda – whether political, aesthetic or financial – and seek to impose some kind of order, Multiform accommodates multiple states of being and existing.

Multiform represents an attempt at engaging with the aesthetic, ideological and environmental chaos of the contemporary world

So, if this is Multiform, who are the Multiformers? We can see Multiform approaches in the work of growing band of architects and designers who work in the urban realm from across the world.

We see it in the intense improvisation of Fala Atelier, the strategic urban eclecticism of Bovenbouw and the postmodern inheritances of David Kohn Architects. It's present in the veiled complexity of Johnston Marklee, the disciplinary and typological fluidity of Jennifer Bonner's approach to research and design and the sampling and remixing of Studio MUTT.

Then there's the superabundant joy of AOC, the luxurious thrift of Office S&M and CAN's celebration of the city's ad-hoc formations. It's in the participatory sprit of DK-CM, in Groupwork's crafted approach and, of course, in the exuberant colour and patterns of Yinka Ilori, Camille Walala, and others of the group dubbed 'New London Fabulous' by Adam Nathaniel Furman, himself a notable Multiformer.

The Multiform sensibility is by no means limited to these architects and designers, nor does it necessarily characterise all they do. The ability to pursue a variety of agendas simultaneously is what Multiform is all about. But what is common to many of these practitioners is that they are of a generation who can remember a world before the mobile phone and high-speed internet, allowing them to operate with one foot in each of the analogue and digital worlds.

The ability to pursue a variety of agendas simultaneously is what Multiform is all about

As a transitional tendency, Multiform is by definition fluid, dynamic and shapeshifting. And in being so attuned to the circumstances of the present, Multiform is inherently marginal and fleeting. Although a bloom amidst a dense thicket is more rare and beautiful than a field of flowers, it must be nurtured and prevented from being strangled.

Already there are powerful forces lining up to shape the next architectural supercycle. Neoliberalism's espousal of the financialisation of everyday life – the politico-economic ideology that underpinned the last architectural supercycle – is giving way to a new ideology that aspires to the datafication of every aspect of human experience. The data-driven fantasies of big tech aim at nothing less than the surveillance city where basic and fundamental freedoms are not just curtailed but abolished.

Meanwhile, others of a more populist and reactionary persuasion hope for a reversion to the past, whether this is so-called traditional architecture or warmed-up state-sponsored modernism. In contrast to the vast forces currently being marshalled by big tech, the idea of somehow finding a way of turning the clock back appears rather quaint.

Multiform is not alone in recognising the urgency of this situation and its impact on the public values that define the discipline of architecture. Riven by anxiety over architects' diminishing role, some are looking outside the profession to assert their agency. Yet, while offering short-term succour, this risks architecture becoming ever more diminished as a force for (re)shaping the world for the better.

Rather than retreat from the discipline, Multiform doubles down on what architecture is uniquely placed to do and reasserts its central importance to society.

It resists architecture's instrumentalisation towards external agendas and the mono-cultures that ensue and instead meets the complexity of the contemporary world with ideological diversity and aesthetic pluralism. As we stand on the cusp of the next architectural supercycle, Multiform points the way towards a richer, more joyful future.

Owen Hopkins is an architectural writer, historian and curator. He is director of a new centre for architecture and cities in Newcastle, UK opening in 2022 and was previously senior curator at Sir John Soane’s Museum and architecture programme curator at the Royal Academy of Arts. He is the author of books including Postmodern Architecture: Less is a Bore (2020), Lost Futures (2017) and Mavericks: Breaking the Mould of British Architecture (2016).

Main image is of Office S&M's Mo-tel House in London. Photo is by French + Tye.

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MUT Design clads modular Valencia Pavilion in thousands of wooden scales

Valencia studio MUT Design has designed five modular pavilions clad in scales made from leftover wood for a travelling exhibition in Spain.

The pavilions will showcase work by 50 designers in five different sections to celebrate Valencia's title of World Design Capital for 2022.

Each section – design and art, the circular economy, industry and craftsmanship, technology and the transformative economy – is housed within its own mini pavilion formed from two semi-cylinders.

Top image: the exhibition is broken down into five mini-pavilions. Above: each is formed from two semi-cylinders

These consist of four metre-high curved walls, which can be placed separately or together to create a labyrinth of winding corridors and secluded alcoves.

Inside, the units' pinewood frame and construction are laid bare, while the convex exterior is clad in hundreds of small, overlapping wooden fins, adding up to around 220,000 across all five pavilions.

The units are arranged to form a labyrinth of corridors and alcoves

The wood was originally meant to be turned into the parade floats that are ceremonially burned as part of Valencia's historic Fallas festival every March, but the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Instead, the wood was used for this installation, which is on view as part of the Madrid Design Festival until 14 March before becoming a travelling exhibition.

The pinewood frame is left exposed inside the pavilions

"Here in Valencia, we have a lot of traditional wood ateliers that create works for the Fallas festival," MUT Design co-founder Alberto Sánchez told Dezeen.

"But it was cancelled due to the pandemic and a lot of materials were left on the shelf. So we decided to collaborate with one of the ateliers to give a new life to the wood and create some work for the builders."

The pavilions are clad in wooden scales

Each scale was handmade by local woodworker Manolo García and trimmed to three standard sizes of 14, 16 and 18 centimetres. These were then lined up and alternated to create a textured surface not dissimilar to tree bark.

"We wanted to bring together tradition and the avant-garde while recovering something that is really ours – deeply rooted in our city," Sánchez explained.

In particular, the studio drew on natural textures found in the Albufera National Park just south of Valencia, as well as on the thatched roofs of traditional houses known as barracas.

Breaking each pavilion down into two semi-cylinders allows the individual units to be combined into "infinite compositions" that can be adapted to different spaces for the travelling exhibition.

"Because it is a travelling exhibition, we want to create one-of-a-kind experiences in each of the several places it will be visiting," Sánchez added.

The units were also designed to be taken apart into separate pieces, which can be stacked for ease of transport.

Each scale was handmade by Manolo García

Contributors to the exhibition include designer Jaime Hayon, brands Andreu World and Expormim, and a number of emerging studios showing projects including self-ventilating graphene facades and homeware made from olive pits.

"We wanted to bring to Madrid a different selection of projects that are leading a silent transformation of society," explained Xavi Calvo, director of World Design Capital Valencia 2022.

Displays are fixed to the inside of the pavilions

MUT Design has previously collaborated with Expormim to create a chair modelled on the shape of a flower petal and an outdoor rug made from braided ropes, which were exhibited at the products fair of Dezeen's Virtual Design Festival.

Photography is by Ernesto Sampons.

Valencia Pavilion – The Future is Design is on view at the Fernán Gómez Cultural Centre as part of the Madrid Design Festival until 14 March 2021. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Tobias Grau creates minimalist Team office lamps

Dezeen promotion: German designer Tobias Grau has launched a range of fully automatic, minimalist lamps for office spaces and home working.

Named Team, the collection of five aluminium lamps was designed to be a complete lighting solution for contemporary offices.

"Team is designed as a team and for teams," said Timon and Melchior Grau, creative directors at Tobias Grau.

"We set out to create the perfect lighting for the entire workplace — a truly comprehensive solution in design quality, efficiency, and wellbeing."

Top: Tobias Grau has created a range of Team lamps including the Team One. Above: Team Home lamp

Each of the five lamps has a coherent aesthetic and can be combined to illuminate any workplace set up, from home offices to large co-working spaces and open-plan offices.

The sleek and structural lamps have gently rounded edges and matte, powder-coated surfacing. The forms were designed to create a calm, de-cluttered workspace.

Team Four is designed to illuminate four desks

The collection includes five different-shaped lamps that offer illumination for a wide variety of workspaces.

Team One is a desk lamp designed for individual use that has a lightweight form and bespoke clamp making it ideal for hot-desking schemes.

Standing lamps Team Two and Team Four are designed to illuminate double and four-person desks respectively.

The Team Two office lamp

The final office lamp is the Team Suspension light that is designed to be hung above workstations, meeting tables, foyer areas, canteen, breakout, or conference spaces.

Alongside the four office lamps, is Team Home, a professional home office lamp that can be attached to any surface in seconds with a clamp.

Team Suspension can be used to illuminate desk spaces and communal areas

Each lamp contains hundreds of LEDs behind angled lenses to provide optimum lighting conditions across the whole desk.

"With Team, we've taken the colour rendering and design quality standards that are the norm in superior home lighting and transported them into the workplace," said Timon and Melchior Grau.

"As fluidity between home and the office becomes ever more of a norm, we want to create the same sustainable and healthy light in both environments."

All lamps include integrated sensors

Designed to form an interconnected network every lamp includes fully integrated advanced motion and light sensors. This enables smart light management within the office environment.

All Team lamps are designed and manufactured in Germany by Tobias Grau. Find out more about Team on Tobias Grau's website.

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Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Meridiani as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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