And I find a profound beauty in it. Having been born in the US where brutalism is not common, I see these things and immediately am gripped by them. The design speaks directly to me and inspires me to be part of it. I want to be close to it, to work in or near it. I want to blossom and prosper, but I am within a context and find these spaces to feel like natural spaces. In these spaces, I feel that I have nature as a platform. These things show an unbridled creativity and confirm human ability to mold our environment while not separating ourselves from it. And they don't just survive in time, they become better. The patina these structures take on adds a meaningful layer to their design.

These classic places you speak of survive time because they are attended to furiously. They are things which degrade exponentially without attention and they are ongoing sinks for human capacity in support of their own ostentatiousness. They may please some eyes because they are so out of character. They are rebels against nature and humanity. The inspire us to be other than what we are - godlike and beyond our natural limitations. They are feats of design, but they are more limited in what they express. The idea of working in them makes me feel like I am being conquered by other people's limitations and conformist ideas of beauty.

In disrepair, both will eventually crumble. In brutalism, I see my condition, but also my opportunity. In classicism, I feel distracted from my condition and oppressed by those who would put forth pomp while taking away individuality and opportunity.

Trophies of monarchies vs. triumphs of people.