Many of the Paris Olympic events this summer will take place in the Seine-Saint-Denis, Hauts-de-Seine and Yvelines departments, which means spectators will venture beyond the boulevard périphérique that separates Paris from its surrounding region. The Paris-centric media has long dismissed the highly populated banlieue as a place devoid of interest, so it seems fitting that the suburban towns are getting some of the attention and investment they deserve. Away from the sport, the greater Paris region has a rich architectural legacy that should be better known.

Brutalist Paris is an ideal companion to discover innovative mid-twentieth century architecture of the region. This compact volume, designed to accompany the authors’ Brutalist Paris map (2017), introduces over fifty buildings from the 1950s to 1980s through photographic portfolios and seven short but probing essays. Although some familiar names appear – Le Corbusier, Niemeyer, Chemetov – much of the focus is on architects who are less well-known outside of France, such as Renée Gailhoustet, Jean Renaudie and Nina Schuch.

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