City Hall and Magistrate Court

… the project offers a robust counterpoint to the collection of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century buildings that line the square. Although the design of the building is unapologetic in its embrace of Brutalism, Kopsa did not want the new structure to visually compete with the neighboring Brant County Courthouse located on a prominent site along the northern edge of the square. To respond to the scale of the district, the height of the new building was restrained to two and a half floors. The use of concrete offers a contrast to the stone masonry of neighboring buildings while communicating a stability and monumentality that was seen as appropriate for a democratic institution. Excerpt from Michael McClelland and Evan Manning’s article in: SOS Brutalism: A Global Survey. Catalog DAM + Wüstenrot Foundation, Zurich (Park Books) 2017