Can Critical Regionalism save architecture from losing its soul to Commercialism? Why even shopping centres should embrace their local environments in design.
Critical Regionalism, which was first developed by Kenneth Frampton, a retired lecturer who taught Architecture in Montreal, is a theoretical mode or model of design. Critical Regionalism is considered by Frampton as a way to avoid the sort of carbon copy nature of Modernist architecture that may strip a regional area of its local characteristics in design. Critical Regionalism takes on the Modernist and Postmodernist attitude, but replaces some elements from these movements to try to properly respect the locality that it is built in.
Critical Regionalism combats some of the side effects of a globalized, hyper-capitalist world, by encouraging architects to embrace the local culture in their design, using unique colour, shapes and symbols that reflect the area that the building exists in, but also values adopting some level of universality in the blueprint of the design that allows for this architecture to be able to exist in any part of the world.
Essentially, it is meant to try to limit the very standardized commercial building look that could make buildings on every continent look almost identical, which would diminish tourists and locals’ experiences alike if they were to realize that there is nothing distinctive about the buildings they are inhabiting in any part of the world. It would be disheartening to travel to an interesting, foreign country far away from your home country, only to realize that you’re in the exact same outlet store that you frequented at home.
There is nothing unique or culturally significant about being in a commercial centre in a country that is not your own, or one that makes you feel like you might as well be in the shopping mall nearest to your house in your hometown. Basically, it is a balancing act between a universal appeal and an embrace of regionalism, the Universal and the Local, so that people who enter and occupy a building get the best of both worlds. They will enjoy world-class architecture that functions in a universally desirable way, but distinct enough that you get a taste of the culture and regional aesthetic and style of wherever you are.
A combination of universality and locality is possible to achieve in architecture, and significant potential for Critical Regionalism to flourish. When architects take in consideration the importance of a locality’s natural elements, physical situation and the local people’s culture, it can result in the enhancing of people’s well being and livelihoods within their interactions with the buildings in their community.
This appreciation for regional distinctions can create a sense of local pride surrounding a community’s architecture, and appeal to both critics and the public alike, which creates conversation, new landmarks and icons in a community to form and establish themselves, and an increase in tourism.
A worry is also that without enough appreciation of Regionalism, the worst of Commercialism can occur in architecture, as mentioned, and this also extends to low-income housing, in the form of apartment buildings. These apartment buildings that are too commercialized can become drab and featureless, which ultimately comes across as depressing and unappealing.
It might be fair to assume that the style of grey, featureless, unremarkable buildings side by side could affect the quality of life of the residents of these low-income housing projects, because there is a lack of colour, culture and beauty. Ultimately, Critical Regionalism is an attempt to return to place, nature, history and craft, and finding a balance between what is universally known to work as far as creating a functioning building, and welcoming the local environment to influence the specificities of the design.
