Reyner Banham
The New Brutalism:
Ethic or Aesthetic?
1966

The New Brutalism was the neo-avant-garde movement of the British architectural scene in the 1950s and was published widely in the architectural press, particularly in Architectural Design and the Architectural Review. Reyner Banham introduced the dualism “ethic or aesthetic” to the architectural world in the subtitle of his 1966 book, The New Brutalism. In it, he asked whether the post-war neo-avant-garde movement, the New Brutalism was a moral crusade for the reform of architecture, or simply another style.

In his book Reyner Banham claimed Langham House Close as New Brutalist, much to James Stirling annoyance; he disliked the label and thought that the term would put off potential clients. But the architectural world was intrigued by the idea of Brutalism at the time, and the flats got coverage in the Italian, French and German press, as well as in England.