Hacker News Reader

You can think of the ads as being like the exposed ducts and conduits of brutalist buildings. They power the site.

Architectural historian here. Exposed services (ducts etc.) are a characteristic of High Tech architecture, not brutalism.

Many non-specialists think brutalism is more broadly applicable term than it actually is...

Thanks for the clarification! My favorite example in this style is the Digital Computer Lab at the University of Illinois. Until now, I didn't have a word for it.

http://uihistories.library.illinois.edu/virtualtour/engineer...

I really enjoyed the aesthetic effect of the exposed pipes and wire conduits.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com