Jun 15, 2011

Brutal Bus Tour

Busy little life lately, hence the scant posts in the past few weeks. We're still knee-deep in mud (litterally) for this year's landscape project. We're hoping to once again be one with sod by next weekend, so I will post some 'nearly afters' once we've rolled out the green carpets. (ha)

In the meantime, keep posted for plenty o' updates this week, including results from the Calgary Bungalow Project, an upcoming Cow Town Lowdown with People Food and an energy efficiency assessment of Prairie House.

For all you Calgary-based architectural enthusiasts out there, this Sunday is Calgary Heritage Initiative's first architectural bus tour. I've been working with a fantabulous crew to develop a tour of the architectural style we all love to hate, Brutal architecture, or beton brut, (french for raw concrete). This style became popular in the 1960s -1970s, expressed in buildings designed with raw angularity and geometric massing accented with exposed structural systems and treatments of board formed concrete. Calgary has some of the
country's premiere Brutalist sites, undoubtedly inspired by the city's setting against the stunning backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.

Calgary Telus World of Science

Many of these buildings in the city are under threat and CHI has partnerned with Calgary Architecture and Urban Studies Alliance (CAUSA) to raise awareness and understanding of our very own black spot of architecture.

Tickets for the Brutal Bus Tour (warrants a hair band t-shirt, non?) $30 for CHI members and $35 for non members. Reserve your tickets at rsvp@calgaryheritage.org. Introduce yourself to me if you join us. Would love to meet some new fellow MCM'ers in town.

More information:

LP

Brutalist inspired soundtrack provided by Ted Leo & the Pharmacists

2 comments:

Heather said...

I work in a brutalist building. The name is very, very apt. It's awesome that you're working on this!

Laura said...

The reception from the public has been great so far. Will post some pix from the tour.

Post a Comment