Concrete Asia presents more than two hundred buildings and structures constructed across thirteen Asian countries between the 1950s and 1980s. As architects across the region embraced the progressive language of modernism, they adapted it to local climates, materials, and social conditions. The result is architecture that is distinctly modern but also radical, often wildly decorative, idiosyncratic, and ultimately a joy to look at. These are exactly the sorts of buildings that jaded architecture enthusiasts obsess over, and which other brutalist architecture surveys have largely ignored.
Concrete Asia brings the region’s groundbreaking modernist and brutalist buildings together in print and demonstrates how concrete has redefined Asian cityscapes and built a foundation for modernization. The postwar independence and reconstruction movements sparked massive building programs that introduced concrete skylines across the continent. These are now making way for today’s steel-and-glass buildings, but the threat of demolition has spurred the ground-up growth of online communities seeking to record these pioneering concrete buildings.
The buildings have been selected and specially photographed by contributors from across the region. Chosen for both their formal ambition and historical significance, each national selection is introduced by Justin Zhuang, who situates the projects within their cultural and political context.
Contributors
Justin Zhuang
Author
Justin Zhuang is a Singaporean writer and researcher with an interest in design, architecture, culture, and history. He has covered architecture and design for magazines in Singapore and around the world, including BiblioAsia, CUBES, Metropolis, Eye on Design, and Works That Work. He is the author of Mok Wei Wei: Works by W Architects.
