Viva Space, Hope, and Brutalism

I was very sorry to hear of the passing of Elain Harwood (1958-2023).

Her death prompted me to return to Space, Hope and Brutalism: English Architecture, 1945-1975 (2015), an extremely valuable book throughout my research.

I first borrowed the book from the Clifford Whitworth Library during the COVID-19 lockdown. My immediate concern at the time was how I would get it home in my bike pannier. As Jonathan Meades remarked, “It’s not a coffee table book, it’s a coffee table!” Despite the scale, the book quickly became a mainstay and one of several precarious, Jenga-like piles of books that accumulated around the living room. I returned to Harwood’s study repeatedly to explore higher education architecture and to understand relationships; a period she characterised as one of optimism and endeavour. More often than not, this led me down wider research paths, frequently accompanied by moments of pause prompted by the book’s striking photographic documentation.

Space, Hope and Brutalism represents the culmination of an extensive research project undertaken for Historic England. A detailed account of post-war Britain, documenting architecture associated with housing, work, education and cultural life. The book addresses Functionalism, Brutalism, and the architecture of the Welfare State, while reflecting Harwood’s ambition to secure greater recognition for modernist architecture within public and heritage discourse. The title is aptly taken from Sigfried Giedion’s Space, Time and Architecture (1941). Through her examination of the impact of the Second World War, the Festival of Britain (1951), and subsequent government reconstruction programmes, Harwood draws on archival sources, interviews, and documentary material to reassess architecture. Higher education features prominently, framed as one of the most significant achievements of the post-war settlement. Her research highlights the seeing relationship between policy, institutional ambition, and architectural form, illustrating how new buildings were expected to represent broader social and educational ideals.

In Harwood’s obituary, Alan Powers observed her work often written with non-specialist audiences in mind. At a time when architectural writing increasing favours theoretical complexity, books like this are really accessible and grounded. Having spent the past eighteen months working through academic literature, I recognise the value of scholarship that communicates clearly without sacrificing depth. Whether or not such work sits comfortably within more traditional academic frameworks, books like this are vital in helping wider contemporary understanding of modernist architecture.

‘Viva’ Space, Hope and Brutalism: English Architecture, 1945-1975. Harwood, E. (2015). New Haven & London: Yale University Press.