Strom Thurmond Federal Building - Columbia, SC
About:
Name: Strom Thurmond Federal Building
Location: 1835 Assembly St. Columbia, SC 29201
Explanation:
The Strom Thurmond Federal Building is considered a structural expression of brutalism – a movement in architecture that flourished shortly after the early 1950’s. In comparison to buildings like the Unite d’habitation and the Palace of Assembly where Le Corbusier first introduced his choice of beton brut – a raw concrete that left a smooth architectural surface on the exterior of a building – the Strom Thurmond Federal Building arguably displays fundamental characteristics of Brutalist architecture. (74)
Description:
First and foremost, when comparing the Unite d’habitation by Le Corbusier to the Strom Thurmond Federal Building by Marcel Breuer, the scale between both buildings become equalized. The Strom Thurmond Federal Building distinctively imitates qualities of the Unite d’habitation by implementing pre-cast stark and unadorned concrete panels. The building has a monolithic expression with most of its exterior covered primarily with symmetrically arranged windows. The windows on the building are deeply recessed and use an architectural technique called brise-soleil – a feature designed to efficiently deflect rays of sunlight from coming into a buildings interior; also used on the Palace of Assembly by Le Corbusier. A steel frame, which successfully allows the application of large concrete and granite panels, supports the buildings infrastructure. Attached to the main office building, there is a secondary building with the same design both in its interior and its exterior. Breuer created a plaza that sits directly between the buildings with an array of outdoor seating. The plazas primary material consists of repeated sandy colored concrete and gray granite. In addition to the plaza is a reflecting pool that is paneled with grass, shrubs and trees, allowing organic elements to lighten up hardscape features. The interior of the Strom Thurmond Federal Building is considered as important as the exterior; having modern characteristics like polished brick covering the floors and walls, stairways surrounded by wood railings with concrete steps, and large concrete columns located in the entrance of the lobby – all providing a sense of monumentality. (250)