Submitted by Jonathan Budd
Regionalist Theory and Study Abroad: The University of Maryland in Turkey
Architecture News - Aug 13, 2007 - 00:00 8419 views
regionalism emphasizes a process of design, rather than any particular style, and vernacular building traditions are a starting point for theoretical considerations of regionalism. However, reliance on vernacular traditions as a source of architectural vocabulary can imply a somewhat static definition of cultural values. An evolution of architectural thinking is suggested in theories of "Critical Regionalism,” as explained by Kenneth Frampton:”The fundamental strategy of Critical Regionalism is to mediate the impact of universal civilization with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of a particular place.... It may find its governing inspiration in such things as the range and quality of the local light, or in a techtonic derived from a peculiar structural mode, or in the topography of a given site. But it is necessary...to distinguish between Critical Regionalism and simple-minded attempts to revive the hypothetical forms of a lost vernacular.”
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