Show HN: Brutalist Concrete Laptop Stand (2024) (sam-burns.com)

There are some subtly weak desks out there, quite a few actually, where placing this on top could be brutal.

if we give it a little more polish, colder/greyer tones and "newness," it would fit very nicely for a Control fan :)

EDIT: https://store.steampowered.com/app/870780/Control_Ultimate_E...

Also known as an inertial mass dampener for your sit-stand desk.

I appreciate++ the design except for the too-perfect rebar and the exposed wire directly _in_ the concrete. Pros would use a conduit methinks.

This is pretty cool looking, I like it, it must be really heavy though.

> For a medium-sized piece like this, a vibrating dildo is actually the best thing to use. Just think of it like any other power tool.For a medium-sized piece like this, a vibrating dildo is actually the best thing to use. Just think of it like any other power tool.

I used work on foundations for warehouses, huge concrete blocks as anchor points and this is exactly how we got the bubbles out, we had a huge metal vibrator they call them high-frequency concrete pokers.

Isn't the ornamental 'urban decay' detail kinda the opposite of the utilitarian and functional style of brutalism?

If you like brutalism, you might also enjoy the Quake Brutalist Map Jam 3, which released last month: https://www.slipseer.com/index.php?resources/quake-brutalist...

My favorite map is ‘One Need Not Be a House’ by Robert Yang, which was inspired by Louis Kahn's "brick brutalism" masterpieces in Bangladesh and India, as well as contemporary level design like The Silent Cartographer. The artist writes about their process on their blog post, https://www.blog.radiator.debacle.us/2026/01/one-need-not-be...

The map jam is standalone and uses custom assets so you don’t need a copy of Quake to enjoy it. Check the website for the ‘standalone’ variant.

Sorry for derailing! Cool laptop stand!

You just need to cover it with graffitis to fully depict the experience of the poor souls living in brutalist buildings.

I've always loved this style of architecture. People think commie blocks are ugly but I've always appreciated their simple utilitarianism

post-apocalyptic vibes

I wonder what the practical limit is on how thin and light you can make concrete for non-structural items? I can see someone selling concrete mugs on Etsy, for example. Maybe with clever use of fillers and thin walls you could have a version of this you could actually lift. It looks great, especially in contrast to a white IKEA-style office.

Re: decay, I regret not taking more photos of the final days of the RBS "Ziggurat": https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/stark-ph... ; at the end it had plants growing from much of the upper levels, making it look extremely Horizon Zero Dawn.

I certainly haven't heard of that technique to get rid of bubbles in the cement.

When I first look at this I think "hey it would be nicer if it wasn't falling apart", but you could argue that's kind of the point. Well done

Is that surface concrete? Will it scratch the laptop?

I love concrete as a medium but that's got to be heavy af and I would manage to smack my elbow on it all the time as well as smash my coffee mug on it.

Related: Anyone know where to get that kind of keyboard in the photo? Specifically, where the number pad and arrow keys are on the left?

I've been looking and looking, but the best I can find is using a narrow keyboard with a separate number-pad only keyboard on the left. I'm in the US.

(It's better for your right shoulder to keep the mouse closer to your body like in the picture.)

Is it just me or can you all hear the sound of the metal/aluminum scratching against the concrete?

Loved the brutalist movie, this actually seems quite nice assthetically.

This is sick but sad that it has to live in that open office cubicle world :[

Looks awesome! I like raw concrete. Plays well with the tech around it.

@dang, I'm not sure what's changed with the Show HN lately, but it's been much more lovely to read. Thank you for whatever changes which were made.

Such a heavy stand might serve as a nice heat sink too, I would think. Doesn't have fins, but it could radiate evenly, and not even get that hot.

I love it! I just wish I could enlarge the photos! EDIT: ah, it works to right-click open image in new tab.

this is really cool, what a great Show HN. i will try to make one this weekend :)

Looks like a rat hideout.