CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS IN ARCHITECTURE

Gayatri Arude, Reg: No: 1151630727,

VII Semester, B. Arch, Dr. D Y Patil College of Architecture, Akurdi
Email: gayatri.arude2486@gmail.com

Review (Paper 4)
(Sinem Kultur) Role of culture in sustainable architecture Archi-Cultural Translations
through the Silk Road 2nd International Conference, Mukogawa Women’s Univ.,
Nishinomiya, Japan, July 14-16, 2012 Proceedings, 262-267.

 Problem Statement:

This research paper focuses on cultural dimensions in sustainable architecture as well

introducing different kinds of sustainable architecture.

 Aim/objective of the paper:

Aim of this paper is to discuss cultural dimensions of sustainable architecture.

 Method of Analysis:

1. Part one is that this paper introduces about eco-cultural architecture from
among different kinds of sustainable architecture.
2. Second the part is to analyze the architectural practices well-known with their
cultural components worldwide as practices adopting eco-cultural logic.
3. And the third part is to interpret the sustainable architectural approaches in
Turkey considering the local issues.

 Data Used:

Sustainable architecture under six different categories based on the main logic and
methods as: eco-technic, eco-centric, eco-aesthetic, eco-cultural, eco-medical and eco-
social. The competing logics of the sustainable architecture are given as a
Summary in Table.

1. Eco-Technic:
Eco-technic logic defines sustainable architecture as energy-sufficient architecture
placing importance to the development of technology.

2. Eco-centric:
Eco-centric logic, sustainable architecture is considered to be an architecture that is a part
of nature by using natural materials and has zero ecological footprints.

3. Eco-Aesthetic:
Sensuous, stylish and creative qualities make the green architecture as sustainable for
eco-aesthetic logic.
 4. Eco-Medical:
Architecture creating a “healing environment” and supporting the healthy lifestyle of the
people are considered as sustainable within eco-medical logic.
5. Eco-social:
There is an eco-social logic defining the architecture that embodies the spirit of Society,
freedom, and togetherness as sustainable.

6. Eco-Cultural:
The eco-cultural logic highlights the preservation and conservation of the variety of the
existing cultural archetypes with a concern for cultural continuity.
This logic leads to transformation and reuse of traditional construction techniques, building
typologies and settlement patterns for expression of the cultural sustainability.

Architectural Practices Adopting Eco-Cultural Logic

The concern for the cultural sustainability, continuity of space characteristics, use of local
Materials and proper responses to nature can be seen in regional approaches of the leading
Architects, Hassan Fathy from Egypt and Charles Correa from India.

New Gourna Village is a reinterpretation of a traditional urban and architectural setting by

Hassan Fathy who is an early visionary of sustainable architecture.
It provides sustainability both in culture through the use of local materials and techniques and
in environment with its extraordinary sensitivity to climatic problems.
It is an outstanding example of the integration of vernacular technology with modern
Architectural principles.
Although the pattern of this city might be modern while designing buildings climate, existing
features of buildings are taking into considerations. This proves that it is not how much you
incorporate modern technology and patterns in building at the end it is based on cultural
values, lifestyle, available materials, etc. of that particular region.

Although Kanchenjunga is a modern building constructed in concrete, the green terraces of

this apartment are a modern interpretation of “the verandah” in a traditional bungalow. This
garden verandah provides protection from the sun as well as monsoon rain. This is nothing
but interpreting old building typology culture in modern architecture, which leads to
encouraging eco-culture in buildings to be sustainable.

Rapaport defines the cultural elements forming the house as; religion, language, family
structure, child raising methods, settlement patterns, land division, and land-owning systems,
nutrition habits, symbolic and traditional systems, status defining methods, social identity,
cognitive maps; privacy, intensity, territoriality, behavioral organization in a house, working,
business and trades.

 Conclusion:

Sustainable design based on various logics, one of them is eco- culture. This logic keynotes
the significance of the sustainability of the culture to be provided through design in
architecture. It argues that the existence of a critical interaction between culture and
environment through which they continually redefine each other. Cultural sustainability
achieved through the regional design approach. The regional design approach depends on
regional climate and topography.
The culture of the region sustains through the existing pattern of the region, existing
architectural features of the region, existing lifestyle and culture of habitats, etc. In the end,
regional design meets the goals of the eco-cultural logic of sustainable architecture. This
paper gives a comparative analysis of different logics in sustainable architecture and it states
that culture has a remarkable influence on architecture.