zupagrafika's paper blocs recreate the brutalist, post-war architecture of europe

polish creative studio zupagrafika introduces the ‘brutal east’, a kit of illustrated paper cut-outs that celebrate post-war architecture in central and eastern europe. from the functionalist panelák estates of czech and slovak to the otherworldly concrete designs, the project allows users to playfully explore and reconstruct some of the most controversial edifices erected behind the iron curtain during the cold war. 

the kit includes seven illustrates paper cut-outs of post-war brutalist architectures 

having a special affinity for post-war modernism, zupagrafika has included seven brutalist buildings to assemble — from omnipresent pre-cast housing estates to mighty soviet landmarks awaiting renovation or threatened by demolition. the set is made of: the eastern gate of belgrade in serbia; ‘romanita’ collective housing tower in chisinau, moldova ; house of soviets in kaliningrad, russia; jižní město panelák housing estate in prague, czech republic; novosmolenskaya housing complex in st. petersburg, russia; sport rūmai in vilnius, lithuania ; ‘manhattan’ housing complex in wroclaw, poland. 

brutal east chisinau, moldova model

the overall book-kit is made with eco-friendly materials, recycled paper and cardboard, including a short bio on the architects with the year of construction and exact location of each edifice. the paper cut-outs are now available on zupagrafika’s online shop.

‘romanita’ collective housing tower in chisinau, at two different scales

brutal east ‘manhattan’ housing complex in wroclaw, poland

novosmolenskaya housing complex in st. petersburg, russia

house of soviets in kaliningrad, russia 

brutal east sport rūmai in vilnius, lithuania 

the eastern gate of belgrade in serbia

brutal east jižní město panelák housing estate in prague, CR

the kit is made of recycle paper and cardboard

the package includes the exact location of each architecture, alongside some folding tips

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom