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If asked to picture a cozy home, most of us would probably have a few attributes in common, warm light, soft furniture, perhaps a fireplace. One would think that these attributes would also then feature in the minds of the people who design them. But, as it turns out, some architects really have their own agenda.

The aptly named “Evil Buildings” online group is dedicated to exactly that, man-made structures that really seem like they were intended to serve as a supervillain’s lair. So get comfortable as you look at these pointedly uncomfortable buildings, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own thoughts in the comments below.

#1 St. Louis Cathedral In The Fog. Jackson Square – New Orleans, Louisiana

Image credits: RedditHoss

#2 Massive Cooling Tower With Stairs

Image credits: swan001

#3 German Observation Tower In Guernsey

Image credits: Stratisssss

Many of the buildings here share some common attributes, aged concrete slabs, industrial designs, imposing forms that, at a glance, seem like a place a supervillain would hide their superweapon. Even the name of this style, brutalism, conjures up a stark, harsh reality. As an architectural style and philosophy, it’s often misunderstood, but it presents a heavily human-centered solution to architecture in its emphasis on honesty, longevity, and community in ways that many other styles neglect.

Brutalist buildings reveal their concrete purpose and shape without hiding supports or relying on decorative facades. This honesty creates an unadorned relationship between form and function so that people can see how spaces engage with each other and what they are utilized for by simply observing the building itself.

#4 The Headquarters Of Caixa Geral De Depósitos (A Bank In Portugal)

Image credits: Delicious_Moment2224

#5 It’s The Lighting That Really Sells The Menace For Me

Image credits: ceeman77

#6 “Church” Of Scientology – Kansas City, Mo

Image credits: Dazzling-Republic

Concrete’s durability provides sustainability and long-term value. Its thermal mass can control indoor climates naturally, storing heat energy during the day and releasing it at night, with the potential for reducing dependency on mechanical heating and cooling. Minimal repairs are required over the course of decades because of the resilience of these buildings, making them resource-effective in their life cycle.

#7 Brutalism In Berlin. A Building Cult

Image credits: BenjaminAlanWake28

#8 The Iron Fountain In Armenia

Image credits: Antique_Let_2992

#9 Benito Mussolini’s Headquarters ”palazzo Braschi” In Rome 1934

Image credits: Some-Entertainment83

The cheapness of this material is another feature, not a “bug.” While it might seem cold and uncomfortable, many “brutalists” would argue that homelessness is a lot worse. By using materials that are easy to transport and manufacture, cities can be transformed, slums removed and even working class families can get access to normal, livable amenities. Some architects are always more skilled than others, but that remains true no matter what style they embrace.

#10 Pagoda In Pa

Image credits: Iccarys

#11 Water Tower In Former Uthemann Ironworks

Image credits: Opp-Contr

#12 Keisuke Oka’s Arimaston Building, Tokyo

Image credits: Few_Simple9049

The majority of the Brutalist structures came as a result of the post-war needs and supported modular, flexible designs. Architecture that integrates the living area, play areas, and paths of circulation in one form was developed for real communities whose needs shift over time. Flexibility respects human lives and allows space to modify the use of space according to requirements.

#13 St. Nikolai Memorial Cathedral (Hamburg, De)

Image credits: HyperActive1DUK

#14 Downtown Cleveland This Morning

Image credits: MadeMeStopLurking

#15 Rheinturm In Germany, The Ultimate Villains Lair

Image credits: According_South_2500

Brutalist buildings normally served a civic function, attempting to serve society in the guise of housing, town halls, and libraries. The strength, occasionally drama, of the buildings was intended to convey collective worth and institutional pride, rather than elitism. Such monumentality has the power to generate involvement and a common sense of identity rooted in place.

#16 Umeda Sky Building Osaka Japan

Image credits: videochopper

#17 Giant Soviet Abandoned Antenna

Image credits: BuffaloBleus

#18 Qatar’s Crescent Tower

Image credits: Web-slinger01

Despite appearances of coldness, the majority of Brutalist designs incorporated social interaction and access, with communal terraces, walkways, and in-house services included in the design. These elements were meant to provide opportunity for neighborly encounters and shared experience, mirroring the idea that buildings must facilitate human contact.

#19 Cathedral T-800

Image credits: longwaytotokyo

#20 Baby Tower, Fuzhou, China, Used To Abandon Unwanted Babies

Image credits: dreamsofcalamity

#21 When A Building Is So Evil It Can Walk Away From The Scene Of It’s Own Crime. -An Old Home In Norway

Image credits: Sure_Elk_5640

Interest has been revived in the practicality and genuineness of Brutalism over the last few years. Its straightforward structure and raw surfaces ignite contemporary reinterpretations, such as concrete furniture, sustainable reinterpretations which pair exposed material with plant life, and these reinterpretations are able to diminish urban tension while encouraging biodiversity, proving how the ideals of Brutalism remain valid.

#22 Beijing Data Building

Image credits: Mooman439

#23 A Dystopian View From Halle, East Germany, 1975

Image credits: PositiveNo6473

#24 Evil/Cyberpunk Looking Residential Skyscraper, Bangkok

Image credits: Beneficial-Arugula54

Finally, Brutalism is not simply a matter of massive concrete forms. It is based on transparency, rendering construction honest and legible; resilience, designing to last and be low maintenance; functionality, shaping spaces according to actual human needs; civic purpose, elevating public institutions and a community focus, designing for public interaction. By prioritizing usefulness in real life over prettification, Brutalism can be a model for intentional, people-focused design instead of something obsolete.