5 examples of modernist and brutalist architecture in Valencia

This seven-storey concrete box might look big and bolshy, but take in the surroundings and notice how it fuses the housing blocks and parkland. The idea of La Rambleta was not to dominate, but to build community. Events are varied and accessible, from puppet theatre to Pink Floyd tribute bands.

Form follows function at this working school, which has been noted and protected by El Colegio de Arquitectos de Valencia. Plans were drawn up for this Bauhaus-inspired building in Berlin, and it was completed in 1961. See the Nolla tiles on the front? They’re a nod to Valencia’s rich ceramic history.

Antonio Cortés wanted to change the way that people lived with Espai Verd. Built in the 1980s, the radical space combines concrete, height and lush green space to incredible effect, like a modern-day Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Did it work? Peep through the gate at the fountains and trees, and judge for yourself.

Concrete and glass are the two main players in this sleek gallery, designed by Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra. Opened in 2001 and set in a small, peaceful park, it houses a lively roster of exhibitions, including mediaeval pots and ceramics, contemporary typography and modern art.

The winged balconies of the Ripalda Tower were inspired by a trip to Japan; they’re pretty iconic in Valencia. When it was built in 1969 it was a marvel of modern architecture and the tallest building in the city, designed for the bourgeois to live in spacious flats which blended indoors and outdoors.