It frustrates me that so many people hate brutalist architecture. I definitely wouldn't want every building to be brutalist but I'm glad that some are. I also much prefer brutalism to soulless glass and concrete skyscrapers or nondescript office buildings. At least brutalist buildings look like something.
Why are you glad some are? Signed, A Brutalist Hater
The size and striking appearance give a sense of safety, nobility, and a feeling that the structure's purpose exists beyond what people think of it. There isn't the delusion that such a large structure can do anything but permanently change the landscape around it, and no appeal to some lost Great Tradition of Architecture. Brutalist architecture has dignity in its old age; rust streaks, plant growth, and other signs of aging feel like a graceful admission that nothing lasts forever, instead of an inevitable abandonment of the structure.
The LA river drainway lets you appreciate the power of the river even when its not completely flooded. Towards the end, where the bed must become dirt, you see the far future of the entire drainway, where it's not a decrepit building, but just rock that has returned to nature.
