Topic > The importance of culture and environment in a modernist era of architecture

In this essay I will discuss the importance of culture and environment in a modernist era of architecture; the importance of maintaining an identity while adapting to a growing movement. In my opinion, you should always try to create the most efficient and effective design, however maintaining the culture of the place you are designing for is equally important. I will use Geoffrey Bawa, a Sri Lankan architect who was a pioneer of tropical modernism (as one of the first to use the application of modernism with the cultural connotations of the environment he was designing for), as a primary source of case studies to discuss this topic in depth. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay First, "modernism" is defined as "a style or movement in the arts that aims to depart significantly from classical and traditional forms" and in architecture, this has been applied to the design of cities, houses, industrial buildings , etc. The movement tried to deny the use of ornaments and resorted to minimalist design; “function over form,” so to speak. Modernism had a much more analytical approach to architectural design, with the use of modern materials and innovation of structure. Pioneers of modernism included Le Corbusier, who had a significant impact on public building projects in Britain. His work: “Ville Radieuse”, an unrealized project describing his ideas for the ideal city, inspired a methodical and (in my opinion) unflattering design movement. It is at this point that the question emerges. As an architecture student, I really appreciate the analytical modernist approach to architecture, however I believe that if you don't try to make the design beautiful or stand out, the repetitiveness of the landscape creates a boring environment. What's worse is that as modernism becomes a global phenomenon, cities begin to resemble each other and the identity of a unique culture is lost in the architecture. Examples of this include Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai. In each of these examples, cities have very few differentiating qualities such as natural land features, such as rivers. On the other hand, the functional approach to design determines the most efficient methods for homes, commercial spaces, etc. Modernism also allows for there to be no discrimination between classes in terms of housing due to similarities in design. Furthermore, the introduction of tropical modernism, which utilized the sustainable construction and passive cooling methods already developed by architects in other countries, with the advantageous elements of the natural warm and humid temperatures of the tropics, allowed the functional advantages of modernism to be infused with the cultural integrity of the area. Tropical modernism used the methods of sustainable construction and passive cooling that had already been developed by architects in other countries, with the advantageous elements of the natural warm and humid temperatures of the tropics. Geoffrey Bawa, as I mentioned earlier, was a pioneer of this movement, he successfully integrated a sense of structural innovation with understanding of the area. Bawa stated: “good Sri Lankan architecture” is not determined by the styles of historical periods, but by the response of the architecture to the place in which it is located; light, views, topography, materiality and above all climate”. The Kandalama Hotel, Dambulla, Sri Lanka, was designed by Bawa reinterpreting the vernacular patterns of the region, as well as his sensitive approach to the site. The hotel has 162 rooms and is located on the edge of areservoir next to a rocky ridge near Dambulla. Bawa's idea was to bring out the immediate impressions of the site; a vast, dense ridge occupied by an old cave, opening onto a far-reaching landscape across the Kandalama reservoir to Sigiriya. The drama of the view was designed to be enhanced by narrowing the entrance through a thin passage, giving the impression of a tunnel through the ridge. Visitors to the hotel would arrive on an artificial cliff top, detached but still aligned with the reliefs of the rock face. Bawa's proposal was very conscious of the landscape it was to be built on, so it responded to the topography of the site by hiding the mass of the building along the cliff edge. The building is also covered in vegetation so as to blend in with the natural environment that surrounds it; therefore, once again responding to the site and not hindering the cultural and environmental aesthetics of the area. After visiting the Kandalama Hotel myself in the summer of 2019, I developed an understanding of how the natural environment so closely fused with the hotel's architecture would influence the experience of staying there. Walking down the corridors, the left side would be completely open, with only a short fence separating the interior from the exterior rock face. Wild life such as Toque macaques would enter the hotel from the left side and wander the corridors for a while. In my opinion, this gave the feeling that the hotel was not hindering the course of nature, but instead was simply aligning itself with it. In addition to the Kandalama Hotel, another example of Bawa's innovative approach to achieving a balance between modernism and culturally responsive architecture is the house he designed for Osmund and Ena De Silva (Colombo, 1960 – 1962). The main problem that Bawa had to overcome with this project was the compactness of the site along with the request to integrate the Kandyan characteristics of a house with a modern house: “he asked for a house that incorporated Kandyan characteristics – a boundary wall, walls open side rooms, verandas, courtyards, a sanctuary room – but she also wanted a modern house with an office for her husband, a study for her son. In addition to the problems mentioned above, another problem that Bawa had to overcome was that of materials. At the time there were shortages and import restrictions, materials such as steel and glass were expensive, and modern accessories were very difficult to obtain. Therefore, Bawa used locally produced materials and, being limited by this, had learned new methods of innovation. The choice of materials and the "overbearing tile roof" gave the house a vernacular appearance. However, the home's open plan has a modern effect: "space flows from inside to outside, and long views sweep across a series of interior and exterior 'rooms' to create the illusion of infinite space on a small plot." The House for Osmund and Ena De Silva is another example of how modernism can be used without having to distance itself from the identity of an area or culture. Critical regionalism is an approach to architecture that addresses the lack of identity caused by modernism, while rejecting the senseless ornamentation of postmodern architecture. Cultural contexts are linked to modern methods. Tropical modernism considers the climate and general environment of the area being built upon, while regionalism considers culture, materiality, special building techniques as well as climate. With the growth of modernism, the world was becoming more and more universal. Globalization meant the sharing of standard materials and methodologies from nation to nation. In the.