Sam Harris

Brutalism was a mid-century architectural movement that first emerged in post-war Britain, dominating new forms of architecture domestically and internationally. Characterised by a functional and utilitarian approach to form and style, brutalist buildings are deliberate in showcasing their structural elements, and explicit use of bare materials such as concrete.

With the movement imported to Aotearoa in the latter half of the century, many notable buildings remain still standing and used within our cities. Fascinated by these sites, I aimed to explore the concept of translating the forms and structures of these buildings into graphic patterns and motifs.

Taking inspiration from the University of Auckland’s Grafton Campus, Lowndes House, and Inland Revenue’s Manukau office, a process of personal graphic development unfolded. Beginning with photography, each site was investigated and documented - capturing the key quirks that define and make each building unique.

After rounds of sketching and tracing a set of base forms for each site were taken forward into digital development. This involved exploring and testing interactions with namely negative space, perspective, and repetition - catalysts that I used to take each form forward into a full pattern. A process that ultimately worked to the unique characteristics and constraints that each form presented, resulting in distinctive outcomes representational of each site.

The outcomes from this exploration serve as starting points, intending to take these patterns further into a variety of applications. Purposefully integrating and tying these patterns back to their physical origins is an exciting creative mission for me to embark on after graduation.