The interest in modernism, Brutalism and, more vaguely, concrete architecture spans a wide range of demographics. The practicing architect might be looking for design inspiration, the enthusiast might enjoy immersing themselves in architectural history or it might just be the melancholic call of forms that seem to belong to a recent if foreign time.

Maps for Sydney and Melbourne mark out a number of important buildings, from the more to the less well known. For any local with an interest in design and the history of the built environment, they provide an excellent guide for learning about the city.

Related: Making mid-century modern go green in London

Blue Crow Media - Concrete Maps

Take Sydney’s Sirius Building, for example. It’s been at the centre of a long-running controversy, making it one of the more partisan and iconic pieces of architecture in the guide. Fewer Sydneysiders, however, might know much about Buhrich House II by émigré architects Hugh and Eva Buhrich. These maps are a celebration of concrete and Brutalism but, even if you take more of a Perottet line on this period of architectural history, they are surely a stimulating resource.

Mapping concrete and Brutalist architecture across Australia, Asia and beyond
Sirius Building, Sydney, photograph by Glenn Harper for Blue Crow Media.

The Melbourne map features buildings from the 1970s such as the Royal Women’s Hosptial Carpark by Mockridge Stahl and Mitchell and Melbourne Teachers’ College Library (Building 138), now the Eastern Precinct Resource Centre, by Egglestone, MacDonald and Secomb.

Further afield, Blue Crow has maps for cities around the world. In our region, Tokyo and Seoul concrete guides might be a tempting way into those cities for the traveller and local alike.

Blue Crow Media
bluecrowmedia.com

Photography
Various

Blue Crow Media - Concrete Maps
Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo by Kenzo Tange, 1964, photograph by Jimmy Cohrssen.
Blue Crow Media - Concrete Maps
Melbourne Teachers’ College Library (Building 138) by Egglestone, MacDonald and Secomb, photograph by Clinton Weaver.
Mapping concrete and Brutalist architecture across Australia, Asia and beyond
Royal Women’s Hosptial Carpark by Mockridge Stahl and Mitchell, photograph by Clinton Weaver for Blue Crow Media.
Mapping concrete and Brutalist architecture across Australia, Asia and beyond
Interrobang by Sae-min Oh, 2014, photograph by Yongjoon Choi.
Mapping concrete and Brutalist architecture across Australia, Asia and beyond
Kkummaru at Seoul Children’s Grand Park (old Seoul Country Club House) by Sang-jin Ra, 1970,  renovation by Sung-yong Joh and Choon Choi, 2011, photograph by Yongjoon Choi.
Mapping concrete and Brutalist architecture across Australia, Asia and beyond
Molecular Science and Biochemistry Building, University of Sydney, photograph by Glenn Harper.
Mapping concrete and Brutalist architecture across Australia, Asia and beyond
Town Hall House, Sydney, photograph by Glenn Harper.
Blue Crow Media - Concrete Maps
Prahran Hotel addition by Technē, Melbourne, photograph by Clinton Weaver.
Blue Crow Media - Concrete Maps

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May 31, 2023