Vox, an American news and opinions media, recently published an article on Brutalism. In short, it addressed the prevalent issue of why numerous modern campus buildings end up appearing unattractive and gloomy. In many ways, the article was reminiscent of the buildings in the POSTECH campus which can be characterized by somber, gray rectangular structures devoid of artistic merit. In fact, such buildings, seemingly constructed more for pragmatic reasons than aesthetics, can also be found in Seoul National University, KAIST, and of such campuses around Korea.
  Emerging from the 1950s, Brutalism was a testament of bold minimalism that revolutionized the way modern day humans perceive and engage with buildings. This architectural style is characterized by raw, exposed materials which puts an emphasis on structural honesty over decorative embellishments. Especially, when compared side by side with all-glass exterior skyscrapers in an urban area, Brutalist buildings evoke almost an eerie, dystopian feelings. And it is this very neo-futuristic, Blade-Runner-2049-esque style on which the recent popularity feed upon. In effect, Brutalism attempts to underscore the “concreteness of concrete” which a lot of cafés started to adopt by exposing its interior to bare concrete, steel beams, and pipes. This gives a warehouse-like atmosphere which, for the customers inside, inspire surreal fascination and acts as a boundary effectively dividing the inside café space to the outside.
  The industry swiftly embraced Brutalism, finding a niche in the design of utilitarian structures, including social housing, universities, and government buildings. However, the movement faced criticism and controversy as many regarded Brutalist buildings as austere, cold, and out of harmony with their surroundings. In the 1970s, Brutalism buildings were associated with the idea of urban decay as old concrete exteriors started to be covered in black smears. As a consequence, it saw a decline in its popularity. Nowadays, we are seeing a new resurgence Brutalism architecture as a quote from Timothy Rohan, department chair and professor at UMass Amherst, says, “I think Brutalism has seeped into our pop culture through Instagram and Pinterest. It is a very expressive architecture. It photographs really well like cats on the internet.”
  Often associated with a sense of utilitarianism and simplicity, Brutalism aimed to create functional spaces accessible to everyone. Many university campus buildings draw inspiration from Brutalism due to its embodiment of egalitarian principles and the pursuit of progress which is not any less true to the virtues of Science and Engineering. Its humble and unadorned appearance reflect the idea of inclusive and open space of intellectual collaboration. Although the philosophy behind might be all good meaning and noble, the lack of aesthetic appeals might be counter-productive to spur creativity. Perhaps, these two mutually exclusive components might have been the original ideas behind CHANGeUP ground, which still appeals to bulky, squarish exterior but, at the same time, has playful interior design.