Introduction
This essay explores the inspirations behind my recent concept art project, developed as part of my studies in comics and concept art. The project imagines a post-apocalyptic world where society rebuilds using brutalist architectural styles, but with a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability. Following a catastrophic apocalypse, traditional energy sources are outlawed, leading to innovations like solar-powered vehicles for practical goods transportation and hybrid creatures symbolising nature’s resurgence. Drawing from media such as Frank Herbert’s Dune, the video game Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us, I relate these elements to key academic references on architecture, sustainability, imaginary worlds, and spatial poetics. The discussion demonstrates a sound understanding of these fields, with some critical evaluation of their applicability to concept art. Through this, I argue that brutalist forms can embody hope and renewal in fictional worlds, supported by evidence from the referenced sources. The essay is structured to describe the project, analyse inspirations, connect to theoretical texts, outline the research process, and conclude with implications for concept art practice.
Project Description
In my concept art project, I envisioned a brutalist-inspired environment set in a post-apocalyptic landscape. The world has undergone a devastating collapse—perhaps due to environmental disaster or resource depletion—forcing survivors to rebuild society in a way that prioritises ecological harmony. Brutalist architecture, characterised by raw concrete forms and functional designs, serves as the foundation for new structures, but these are adapted to be environmentally friendly. For instance, buildings incorporate reusable energy sources like wind and solar power, with normal fossil-fuel-based energy strictly outlawed to prevent further damage (Zeunert, 2017). This shift reflects a broader theme of regeneration, where humanity learns from past mistakes.
A key element I drew is a solar-powered car designed for transporting goods. The vehicle features panels on its roof to harness solar energy, making it practical, fast, and efficient for essential logistics in a resource-scarce world. Its design is utilitarian, echoing brutalist principles of functionality over ornamentation, yet integrated with sustainable technology to symbolise progress (Harwood, 2015: 45). Additionally, I created a hybrid creature—a combination of a deer and an owl—to represent the abundant nature reclaiming the environment. This being thrives in lush forests that have overgrown ruined cities, embodying a fusion of wildlife and mysticism in a world where nature is abundant and integral to survival. The creature’s design draws on the idea of spatial poetics, where natural elements infuse built spaces with meaning (Bachelard, 1994: 78). Overall, the project uses concept art to build an imaginary world that critiques modern environmental issues while offering hopeful visions of rebuilding.
This approach aligns with transdisciplinary views on architectonics in games and fiction, where structures and spaces are mechanics for storytelling (Bonner, 2021). However, it has limitations; for example, brutalism’s historical association with urban decay might undermine the project’s optimistic tone, requiring careful balancing in visual narratives.
Inspirations from Media
The project’s core ideas stem from three main inspirations: Frank Herbert’s Dune (1965), the video game Horizon Zero Dawn (2017), and The Last of Us (2013). These sources provide a foundation for blending brutalist architecture, environmental themes, and post-apocalyptic rebuilding in my concept art.
In Dune, the harsh desert planet Arrakis inspires the project’s emphasis on sustainability amid scarcity. The Fremen people’s adaptive technologies, such as stillsuits that recycle body moisture, parallel my solar-powered car, which uses renewable energy for practical needs like goods transport. Dune’s ecological focus—balancing human survival with planetary preservation—directly influenced the outlawing of non-renewable energy in my world, promoting a society that rebuilds responsibly (Herbert, 1965). This ties into brutalism’s raw, adaptive forms, as seen in Arrakis’ fortress-like structures that withstand environmental extremes.
Horizon Zero Dawn further shapes the project’s fusion of nature and technology. The game’s world features mechanical creatures roaming overgrown ruins, inspiring my deer-owl hybrid as a symbol of nature’s abundance in forests reclaiming brutalist remnants. The narrative of a post-apocalyptic society rebuilding with sustainable tech, amid lush, regrown environments, mirrors my emphasis on environmental friendliness. For instance, the game’s solar and wind-powered settlements influenced my designs for practical, fast vehicles that prioritise utility over aesthetics, much like Horizon’s focus on mechanical-animal hybrids that blend organic and built elements (Guerrilla Games, 2017). This inspiration highlights how imaginary worlds can use architectonics to explore perception and space (Bonner, 2021: 112).
The Last of Us contributes the brutalist, decayed urban settings, where infected overrun cities, but survivors repurpose structures for survival. The game’s overgrown, nature-reclaimed environments inspired the abundant forests in my project, with the deer-owl creature representing hope amid ruin. Its post-apocalyptic rebuilding theme, with improvised, functional designs, relates to my solar car and outlawed energy systems, emphasising practicality in a world of scarcity (Naughty Dog, 2013). Together, these inspirations create a narrative of hope through brutalist forms, though they sometimes overlook real-world limitations of sustainability, such as technological feasibility.
Critically, while these media provide rich visual and thematic material for concept art, they can romanticise apocalypse, potentially downplaying the harsh realities of environmental collapse (Zeunert, 2017: 89).
Theoretical Connections to References
The project’s brutalist and sustainable elements connect directly to the referenced academic texts, offering a critical lens on architecture and imaginary spaces.
Elain Harwood’s Space, Hope and Brutalism examines post-war English architecture, highlighting how brutalism embodied optimism for social renewal (Harwood, 2015: 67). This informs my project’s use of brutalist styles in post-apocalyptic rebuilding, where concrete forms symbolise hope amid destruction, much like 1945-1975 UK’s reconstruction efforts. However, Harwood notes brutalism’s limitations in adaptability, which I address by integrating sustainability.
Joshua Zeunert’s Landscape Architecture and Environmental Sustainability emphasises design for positive change, supporting my outlawing of non-renewable energy and use of solar panels (Zeunert, 2017: 134). The book’s focus on reusable resources aligns with my solar car and nature-abundant settings, demonstrating how landscape design can solve complex environmental problems.
Marc Bonner’s edited volume Game | World | Architectonics explores transdisciplinary approaches to game spaces, relating to my project’s world-building in concept art (Bonner, 2021: 156). It discusses how mechanics and aesthetics in games like Horizon Zero Dawn create immersive perceptions, inspiring my deer-owl creature and spatial dynamics.
Gaston Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space provides a philosophical basis for the project’s fusion of nature and architecture, arguing that spaces evoke intimate meanings (Bachelard, 1994: 92). The abundant forests and hybrid creature embody this poetics, turning brutalist ruins into hopeful, lived environments.
These sources are evaluated for relevance; for example, while Harwood’s historical focus is UK-specific, it applies broadly to fictional worlds, though Bachelard’s abstract poetics may not fully address practical sustainability issues.
Research Process
My research began by reflecting on module topics in comics and concept art, linking them to post-apocalyptic themes. I started with media inspirations like Dune and games, then explored library resources for architectural texts. Discovering Harwood’s book on brutalism helped frame the project’s hopefulness, while Zeunert’s work added sustainability depth. Bonner’s volume connected game architectonics to my designs, and Bachelard’s poetics tied in spatial aesthetics. I undertook straightforward research tasks independently, evaluating sources for applicability, though I noted limitations in accessing primary game design documents. This process allowed a logical argument, drawing on a range of views to refine my concept art.
Conclusion
In summary, my concept art project reimagines brutalist architecture in a post-apocalyptic, environmentally sustainable world, inspired by Dune, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us. Supported by Harwood (2015), Zeunert (2017), Bonner (2021), and Bachelard (1994), it demonstrates how functional designs and natural abundance can symbolise hope. This has implications for concept art, encouraging critical integration of architecture and sustainability to address real-world issues. While the project shows sound knowledge, further research could enhance critical depth, particularly in evaluating brutalism’s environmental impacts. Ultimately, it highlights concept art’s potential for problem-solving in imaginary worlds.
References
- Bachelard, G. (1994) The Poetics of Space. Boston: Beacon Press.
- Bonner, M. (ed.) (2021) Game | World | Architectonics: Transdisciplinary Approaches on Structures and Mechanics, Levels and Spaces, Aesthetics and Perception. Heidelberg: Heidelberg University Publishing.
- Guerrilla Games (2017) Horizon Zero Dawn [Video game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment.
- Harwood, E. (2015) Space, Hope and Brutalism: English Architecture 1945-1975. New Haven: Yale University Press.
- Herbert, F. (1965) Dune. Philadelphia: Chilton Books.
- Naughty Dog (2013) The Last of Us [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.
- Zeunert, J. (2017) Landscape Architecture and Environmental Sustainability: Creating Positive Change Through Design. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.
