Striking photos show nature reclaiming brutalist concrete

A new photobook explores nature’s relationship with Brutalist architecture, and finds beauty in the contrast

Austere. Stark. Cold. The common opinions about Brutalist architecture are a far cry from the way we often describe the natural world: lush, colorful, verdant. But a new photobook is exploring nature’s relationship with Brutalist architecture — from a theater in Japan to a library in Canada — and finding beauty in the contrast. Called “Brutalist Plants,” the book is a “mix of looking into the future but also looking back,” said Olivia Broome, curator of the book and creator of the @brutalistplants Instagram community of more than 30,000 followers. Broome hopes the images will inspire people to look at the built environment differently — and see it as a place that can complement nature. “Either we all exist in harmony with nature and concrete, or we all mess it up so badly that nature is going to overtake everything that we build,” she said.