A Manifesto


We admire and seek to defend the distinctive and irreplaceable architecture that speaks of Birmingham's history in the second half of the Twentieth Century.
We have been provoked into action by the loss of a number of fine buildings of the 1970s- The Post and Mail, the Central Library, and the NatWest Tower.
We believe that that the public have been influenced by the use of phrases such as "1960s concrete monstrosity" and we aim to inform and enable the people of Birmingham to appreciate the best of 20th century design and architecture.
We accept that the Council wants to improve the economic fortune of the City; however this has resulted in indiscriminate demolition. We believe the time has come to stem the time of indiscriminate demolition of any building of this period and to look afresh at the best of what remains.
We aim to rescue the terms 'Modernist' and 'Brutalism' from those who would use them to write off Modernist buildings. We view Modernism as an ethical approach to design in which the form of the building strictly follows its function.
We believe that the best buildings of the period are honest, strong and full of character.
From our unique position we can provide an independent voice and become an information repository for this period of Birmingham's architectural history.

(Alan Clawley & Mary Keating March 2018)

Thursday, 3 May 2018

sad news

tribute to Alan

Very sad news about the person who really made Brutiful Birmingham happen. We owe so much to him.

We will write more in due course but felt we needed to share what is in the public domain. We all at Brutiful deeply mourn Alan's loss and remember him with great fondness and respect. Right now we're just very sad.
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