BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM

(ARC61303/ARC2224)
SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (MARCH 2017)
Name: Lee Hui Qin ID No.: 0322991
Lecturer: Mr. Nicholas Ng Tutorial Time: 12.15-1pm
Reader/Text Title: Towards A Critical Synopsis No: 3
Regionalism Author: Kenneth Frampton
From my understanding of this text, critical regionalism is to counter the placelessness and lack of
identity from the International Style and maintaining the culture and significance of a place. It is different
from the post-modernism that only use ornamentation to create whimsical individualism which gives to
meaning and identity to a place. Hence, a balance between these two extreme movement should be
identified where the buildings must reflect the culture and tradition of its region incorporating the tectonic
idea of modernist form. It is a question on how to revive an old dormant civilization as part of universal
civilization. For example, Alvar Aalto Syntsalo Town Hall is intimate and idiosyncratic, with an unusual
layout directly responsive to the genius loci. Its design emphasis on function and rationality yet reflect the
genius loci of the place by using traditional materials with monumental form which reflect and complement
the heavy forested surrounding. Thus, it has achieved the expression of the sense of place which
acknowledged local cultural and geographic influences while utilizing modernist abstracted geometric
forms. In my opinion, every buildings should have strong identity connection with its own region that should
not be able to be place in anywhere of the world regardless of context. With considering of these elements,
a resistant architecture could formed and potentially become a landmark of the place that revive the form of
a lost vernacular.

In Resistance of the Place-Form, Framption emphasize on the impotence of an urbanized populace

due to the concepts of community without propinquity and the non-place urban realm. I agree with this
statement as human interaction within a boundaries should not diminished along with the urbanization that
indirectly form a clearly define boundaries. In my opinion, urban planning is one of the key elements of
resistance architecture corresponding to the allocation of land use for public realm and for development
purpose. With a more outdoor public realm with a pleasing landscape that blurs the boundary between
indoor and outdoor, people would not only restricted in a confined space that segregate people apart. As a
conclusion, demagoguery should be forbid from the urban planning of a place and focus on the place-
making that capitalize on the local communitys need which could evoke the sense of place.
Word Count: 375 Mark Grade
Assessed by: Date Page No.