Birmingham Central Library, Brutalist library building in Chamberlain Square, England
The Birmingham Central Library featured an inverted ziggurat form with eight floors constructed primarily of concrete geometric shapes and angular structures.
The structure, designed by architect John Madin, opened in January 1974 and served as the main public library in Birmingham until its closure in 2013.
The library contained multiple reading rooms and study spaces, becoming the second most visited library in the country with 1.2 million visitors in 2010.
The facility operated Monday through Saturday near major transportation routes, with express services and designated spaces for community engagement activities.
The building formed part of an unfinished plan for connected civic structures linked by elevated walkways across Birmingham's Inner Ring Road system.
Location: Birmingham
Inception: December 1973
Architects: John Madin
Official opening: January 12, 1974
Architectural style: brutalist architecture
Floors above the ground: 8
Address: Chamberlain Square
GPS coordinates: 52.48030,-1.90477
Latest update: May 27, 2025 13:13
Brutalist architecture emerged in the decades following World War II, producing buildings that challenged conventional design through their honest expression of materials and function. From Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation in Marseille to Louis Kahn's National Assembly in Dhaka, these structures define a global movement that prioritized raw concrete, bold geometric forms and exposed construction elements. The style reached across continents, shaping university libraries in Chicago, government buildings in Boston and Chandigarh, residential towers in London, and cultural centers in São Paulo. Each building reflects the architectural philosophy of its time, when architects sought to create functional spaces through direct expression of structure and material. This collection documents examples from Europe, Asia, North and South America, representing the full range of building types that defined the movement. You'll find administrative complexes that house parliaments and municipal offices, educational facilities serving major universities, residential towers providing urban housing, and cultural institutions including museums and theaters. The structures share common characteristics—concrete left exposed to show its texture and formwork patterns, geometric compositions that emphasize mass and volume, and architectural elements that reveal rather than conceal how buildings stand and function. These sites offer insight into a period when architects reimagined how modern cities could be built and how public spaces could serve their communities.
Birmingham Town Hall
111 m
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
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Council House, Birmingham
139 m
Baskerville House
187 m
Hall of Memory, Birmingham
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Iron:Man
139 m
Victoria Square House
189 m
The River
166 m
Chamberlain Memorial
56 m
Christ Church, Birmingham
196 m
King Edward VII Memorial
156 m
Paradise Street
143 m
130 Colmore Row
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Statue of Queen Victoria
140 m
Statue of Joseph Priestley
40 m
Statue of George Dawson
91 m
Birmingham Man
149 m
Statue of James Watt
50 m
Town Clerk's Department
197 m
50 And 52, Newhall Street B3
197 m
One Chamberlain Square
25 m
93, Cornwall Street B3
160 m
89 And 91, Cornwall Street B3
179 m
Four K6 Telephone Kiosks, Eden Place
153 m
98, Edmund Street B3
171 m
95, Cornwall Street B3
159 m
85 And 87, Cornwall Street B3
181 m
54, Newhall Street B3
197 mReviews
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