Skip to main content

How brutal do you like your espresso?

How brutal do you like your espresso?

Although previously despised, brutalist architecture has started to make a comeback and become en vogue once again. So much so that Berkley, California-based design studio Montaag has been inspired to design a coffee machine reminiscent of an exposed concrete Stalinist palace...

The Barbican Center in London; Le Corbusier's Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, India; Marcel Breuer's Whitney Museum of American Art in New York’s Upper East Side — all icons of the brutalist architectural epoch. While most consider these buildings to be depressing relics of the post-War period, an ever-growing fan base is beginning to develop and show appreciation for these hermetically sealed concrete constructions, reminiscent of battered spaceships that have been marked by wind and weather. In honour of this architectural movement, people have begun to establish such things as brutalist sightseeing tours, travel guides, and even an absurdly fascinating science-fiction film called High-RiseThe most recent ode to brutalism has come in the form of an espresso machine made of exposed concrete, in which design disciples can prepare their morning caffeine infusion. For four years, the design team at Montaag worked on the testing and refinement of their coffee machine, the AnZa ,and finally, this August, production will start via crowdfunding, with deliveries expected to take place in early 2018. Until then, a prototype can be admired at Selfridges in London.

Photos: Montaag