The Zen of Gray Concrete Blocks

Brutalist example: the FBI building

We've commented on the brutalist style in architecture before. (As with many cultural topics, it became politicized when President Trump disliked brutalism to the extent that he issued an executive order banning the style from future Federal projects. President Biden revoked the order.)

In general our tastes don't run in the direction of gray concrete blocks, but we do find some of the structures, such as UCSD's Geisel Library, esthetically pleasing.

Kanye's $57MM Malibu home (WSJ)

The latest trend by ultra-wealthy home buyers is to have their home designed by 81-year-old Tadao Ando, whose technique some have likened to Brutalism:

Celebrities like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are flocking to homes designed by Tadao Ando, a self-taught, Osaka-based architect. Ando’s homes aren’t just rare, but also affordable only for the very rich: Numbering fewer than 20 in the U.S., they are generally defined by their use of reinforced architectural concrete, which makes construction far more expensive than in typical homes...

Tadao Ando (WSJ)

Born in Osaka in 1941, Ando had a brief stint as a boxer before turning to architecture. Largely self-taught, he opened his eponymous firm in 1969, according to the firm’s website. While early works included tiny homes in Japan, Ando became famous for cultural institutions like the Church of the Light in Osaka, which opened in 1989, and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis, which opened in 2001. He won the Pritzker Prize in 1995...

Sometimes described as Brutalist, Ando’s homes are typically hulking, sparse structures with smooth edges, water features and windows that frame the views. Admirers say they evoke an almost spiritual, Zen-like experience in their simplicity, while others say the concrete is too hard and cold to be livable.

This Ando Santa Fe home sold for $40MM (WSJ)

Tadao Ando's method isn't for everyone, but those who like it really, really love it. Concrete is difficult and expensive to work with, but billionaires and centi-millionaires don't care that his works cost "two to three times more than traditional high-end home construction."

And at his stage in life the architect doesn't seem to care about money either.

“a billionaire could come in the door tomorrow and offer him a billion dollars to design his house, and that wouldn’t motivate him,” said L.A. real-estate agent and developer Tyrone McKillen, who has worked with Ando. “It has to be close to his heart for him to work with you.”