Modernist masterpiece or concrete monstrosity? Both were used to describe Robin Hood Gardens, designed in early 70s by brutalist architects, the Smithsons.
When the estate was finally earmarked for demolition, photographer Kois Miah and sociologist Nick Thoburn embarked on a project to chronicle the architecture prior to demolition. They also captured the lived experience of its final inhabitants.

The work culminated in an image and text exhibition. This has two components: a book, “Brutalism as Found”, and a website or “online exhibition” of the same name.

As author of the book, Nick approached me to design and build the online component of the project. Like the book, the website mixes superb photographs of residents and their homes, with lived testimony, architectural critique, and the Smithsons’ project diagrams.

I worked closely with Nick when designing the site and fully trained him how to edit the content himself. We made sure everything was complete many months in advance so we could launch the site the same day the book was released, in December 2022.