If asked to picture a cozy home, most of us would probably have a few attributes in common, warm light, soft furniture, perhaps a fireplace. One would think that these attributes would also then feature in the minds of the people who design them. But, as it turns out, some architects really have their own agenda.

The aptly named “Evil Buildings” online group is dedicated to exactly that, man-made structures that really seem like they were intended to serve as a supervillain’s lair. So get comfortable as you look at these pointedly uncomfortable buildings, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own thoughts in the comments below.

#1 Massive Cooling Tower With Stairs

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#2 German Observation Tower In Guernsey

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#3 “Church” Of Scientology - Kansas City, Mo

Image credits: Dazzling-Republic

Many of the buildings here share some common attributes, aged concrete slabs, industrial designs, imposing forms that, at a glance, seem like a place a supervillain would hide their superweapon. Even the name of this style, brutalism, conjures up a stark, harsh reality. As an architectural style and philosophy, it’s often misunderstood, but it presents a heavily human-centered solution to architecture in its emphasis on honesty, longevity, and community in ways that many other styles neglect.

Brutalist buildings reveal their concrete purpose and shape without hiding supports or relying on decorative facades. This honesty creates an unadorned relationship between form and function so that people can see how spaces engage with each other and what they are utilized for by simply observing the building itself.

#4 St. Louis Cathedral In The Fog. Jackson Square - New Orleans, Louisiana

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#5 Qatar's Crescent Tower

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#6 The Editing Makes This The Most Sinister Dairy Queen Ever

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Concrete's durability provides sustainability and long-term value. Its thermal mass can control indoor climates naturally, storing heat energy during the day and releasing it at night, with the potential for reducing dependency on mechanical heating and cooling. Minimal repairs are required over the course of decades because of the resilience of these buildings, making them resource-effective in their life cycle.

#7 Cathedral T-800

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#8 The Headquarters Of Caixa Geral De Depósitos (A Bank In Portugal)

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#9 Benito Mussolini’s Headquarters ”palazzo Braschi” In Rome 1934

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The cheapness of this material is another feature, not a “bug.” While it might seem cold and uncomfortable, many “brutalists” would argue that homelessness is a lot worse. By using materials that are easy to transport and manufacture, cities can be transformed, slums removed and even working class families can get access to normal, livable amenities. Some architects are always more skilled than others, but that remains true no matter what style they embrace.

#10 Baby Tower, Fuzhou, China, Used To Abandon Unwanted Babies

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#11 It's The Lighting That Really Sells The Menace For Me

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#12 Pagoda In Pa

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The majority of the Brutalist structures came as a result of the post-war needs and supported modular, flexible designs. Architecture that integrates the living area, play areas, and paths of circulation in one form was developed for real communities whose needs shift over time. Flexibility respects human lives and allows space to modify the use of space according to requirements.

#13 23m Lenin Monument

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#14 Beijing Data Building

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#15 A Dystopian View From Halle, East Germany, 1975

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Brutalist buildings normally served a civic function, attempting to serve society in the guise of housing, town halls, and libraries. The strength, occasionally drama, of the buildings was intended to convey collective worth and institutional pride, rather than elitism. Such monumentality has the power to generate involvement and a common sense of identity rooted in place.

#16 Water Tower In Former Uthemann Ironworks

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#17 Keisuke Oka’s Arimaston Building, Tokyo

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#18 Brutalism In Berlin. A Building Cult

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Despite appearances of coldness, the majority of Brutalist designs incorporated social interaction and access, with communal terraces, walkways, and in-house services included in the design. These elements were meant to provide opportunity for neighborly encounters and shared experience, mirroring the idea that buildings must facilitate human contact.

#19 St. Nikolai Memorial Cathedral (Hamburg, De)

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#20 Downtown Cleveland This Morning

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#21 The Iron Fountain In Armenia

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Interest has been revived in the practicality and genuineness of Brutalism over the last few years. Its straightforward structure and raw surfaces ignite contemporary reinterpretations, such as concrete furniture, sustainable reinterpretations which pair exposed material with plant life, and these reinterpretations are able to diminish urban tension while encouraging biodiversity, proving how the ideals of Brutalism remain valid.

#22 Oakley Headquarters In Foothill Ranch, California

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#23 Rheinturm In Germany, The Ultimate Villains Lair

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#24 Pitch In Front Of A Wwii Bunker In Hamburg

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Finally, Brutalism is not simply a matter of massive concrete forms. It is based on transparency, rendering construction honest and legible; resilience, designing to last and be low maintenance; functionality, shaping spaces according to actual human needs; civic purpose, elevating public institutions and a community focus, designing for public interaction. By prioritizing usefulness in real life over prettification, Brutalism can be a model for intentional, people-focused design instead of something obsolete.