Brutalist Housing Estates: Concrete Models of Social Architecture

Brutalist housing estates represent one of the most ambitious chapters in British postwar architecture, where concrete was used not only as structure, but as an expression of social idealism. Designed to offer better living conditions for working communities, these estates combined sculptural form with human intention. Many were misunderstood. Some have been lost. But all were bold attempts to reimagine how we live together.

This collection features my concrete models of Brutalist housing estates, including the stepped terraces of the Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate, the modular forms of Park Hill, and the vertical ambition of Balfron Tower and Trellick Tower. Each model is hand-cast and finished in small batches, made to honour the complexity and care built into these structures.

Whether you’re drawn to their history, design, or personal memory, these pieces are small tributes to the places that shaped so many lives through housing that was meant to be more than shelter. These are buildings that carry meaning, and models made to carry that forward.

Browse more of my collections

About Spaceplay’s Brutalist Models and Designs

Every piece I make starts with a real building that is studied, drawn, and transformed into a work you can hold, display, or share as a gift. My collections include miniature concrete models, layered wood reliefs, and black-and-white risograph prints, all inspired by the forms, textures, and details of Brutalist and modernist architecture from the UK and around the world.

Each model is hand-cast in small batches using custom moulds that I make, with designs based on iconic landmarks, social housing estates, tower blocks, and civic buildings. From Trellick Tower and the National Theatre to Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate, Centre Point, and the Barbican Centre, these pieces pay tribute to some of the most recognisable and celebrated examples of postwar concrete architecture.

Whether you’re searching for architectural gifts, Brutalist home décor, or a collectible sculpture that connects to a personal memory, these collections are designed for architects, designers, students, collectors, and anyone drawn to the bold geometry and raw materiality of Brutalism.