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‘The sweetest music you will ever hear’: structural and programmatic uses of concrete by Denys Lasdun & Partners

Sir Denys Lasdun (1914–2001) was one of Britain's leading Modernist architects. This article investigates his use of concrete both as a structural material and as an exposed finish, pre-cast and in situ. It investigates the evolution of Lasdun's structural thinking about concrete, and proposes that Lasdun used concrete as one of a number of means of establishing and protecting his artistic prerogative. Client opinion, Corbusian influence and pressure from Lasdun's architect contemporaries are considered as possible forces shaping Lasdun's decision making on finishes for his buildings. Finally, the National Theatre, London, is examined as a case study of the relationship between politics and exposed concrete architecture under the UK Welfare State. The article concludes that this relationship is complex and does not conform to the conventional narrative of the Welfare State years.