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Issues in Modern Architecture Departure from Past ....

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Asian Architectural Youth Symposium 2013

The Responsibility of Designer: Respect the human and nature

Issues in Modern Architecture

Departure from Past ….

Apil K.C, Architect, Nepal

Introduction
Urbanization is a phenomenon of physical growth of urban areas which is closely linked with
modernization and industrialization process of expansion. It’s nothing but shifting of humanity and nature into
a chaos world of concretes, steel and artificial things. Cities are growing and so is the urban slums and cost of
urbanization is paid in terms of nature and humanity. In this alarming case of urban collapse, modern
architecture are quite distracted from the ABCs that the civilization of mankind had imparted and nature had
guided in centuries. Situation is even worse in developing cities, where architecture is mushrooming without
any contemplation to urban forms, contextual surroundings and co-existence of nature and public-spirit.
Recently, in an informal discussion, a very provoking statement was raised by senior architects and
historians, i.e. “Architecture is a complete autocratic profession”. Substance of the statement was blur till
justifications were made by some more avowals: divergence of architecture with nature and humanity, alien
structures generated by individual’s fantasies, ignorance of socio-cultural existence with architecture and many
more. The job of an architect is to depict the human relation, ease their socio-cultural behavior and make them
neighboring to nature. Modern architecture had definitely brought the revolution in term of addressing the
capitalist market of modern time but equation is settled in term of our social comfort and natural adaptive. The
arrival of modern architecture in the first eras of the twentieth century suppressed traditional styles and complex
forms evolved in errand of simple concepts and striking images. The result was an approach to the built
environment that lent itself to public relations and propaganda, it played well in declarations and glossy
architecture magazines but was less functional, less adaptive, and less human and engaging. In this alarming
situation, there are some questions raised and issues to be identified in modern architecture: What happened
wrong? Where did it happen? Why do designer stick with an approach that evidently doesn’t incorporate the
co-existence of nature, social behaviour and architecture? Is it because their principles are overshadowed by
the so called 'fashion statement' which is achieved by superimposing their own individualistic identities to
achieve or make a mark on the society? Modern architecture must explore the reactions of this concerns and
revise its principles for achieving its closeness to nature and humanity.

1. Cities, architects and architectures

Architecture is a complex affair and involves a very wide range of people and personalities, ideas and
philosophies, theories and actions. Architecture isn’t only about the filling the site with constructing concrete
or steel blocks, rather it comprises the understanding of the place and turn it to more beautiful and liveable one.
One must understand the basic, that site and place are different in wholesome, site could just be an earth-surface
used as an architectural space but place includes site with consideration of its surrounding i.e. social, cultural
and environmental essences of the space. One can’t define the architectural process without understanding the
issues and aspects related with the site on which it is going to stand.
First century work of Vitruvius proposes the fundamental laws of architectural work to serve as: Firmitas,
Utilitas, and Venustas (structural adequacy, functional adequacy, and beauty). Since then, many architects,
writers and scholars of engineering and art had proposed different principles, philosophies and pathways for
architecture, but the basic content has remained the same. Sullivan’s “Form Follows function”, Corbusier’s
“five points of architecture”, Lloyd’s “Organic architecture” and of many more had always tried to justify their
opinions in their work but in gist “Contemporary architecture is based on the philosophy of individualism.”
The contemporary architectural space depends on an artificial urban landscape to harmonize the logic,
rationality and individuality of modernism. Emerging cities are developed in technological advancement where
architects in struggle of marking their existence, cities are built full of landmarks rather than co-existed urban
Asian Architectural Youth Symposium 2013

The Responsibility of Designer: Respect the human and nature

form. Our sophisticated world does not distinguish science from technology, academics from experience and
need from superfluity, because it confuses understanding with arbitrary control. The ideology of contemporary
architecture is detached from nature and from human spirituality, resulting in buildings that are dangerously
detached from human beings. Similarly in added framework, Human scale in modern architecture has been
deliberately violated in modern epoch to show the abstract nature of creativity, for monumental effects,
aesthetic effect and for serving automotive scale or commercial market: buildings are built higher than
mountains and roads wider than sea yet crowded and congested. Architectural masterpieces by famous
architects are furthermore diverted from the laws of nature, giving the city new look of synthetic world, Few
examples like: I.M. Pei & Partners’ “John Hancock Tower”1, Toyo Ito’s “Za-Koenji Public Theatre”2 and
Frank Gehry's “Walt Disney Concert Hall”3.

FIG. 1: JOHN HANCOCK TOWER, ZA-KOENJI PUBLIC THEATRE & WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
But the case was quite different in traditional cities which was quite harmonious with the surrounding
geography, climate and landscape, spiritual evolution and human psychology. Traditional architecture always
celebrated humans as rich and complex beings, with capabilities far beyond those of a machine. The
architectural outcome had profound consequences for the buildings and cities, for it suggests that architects
and other urban managers were neither the sole producers of nor were sole responsible for, the buildings around
us. The secret of designing successful co-existed architecture was to embrace the notion that the architecture
is a holistic living natural element, similar to trees; stand still yet function as a part of an organic living
environmental inventory, which was very judiciously used in their design philosophy; building material, forms
and technology. Hence, many fingers are raised against modern architecture trends showing the superiority of
traditional movement and knowledge like“….We do not need architects at all. After all, several research studies
have shown that many of the greatest medieval cathedrals and some of the most successful contemporary
housing developments have been produced entirely without the presence of anyone who might be readily
equated with the figure that we traditionally understand to be an ‘architect’”4 Our present-day creation of
architecture has much to learn from such seemingly radical scenarios that existed in past.

2. Kathmandu: A city in Decay and Rejuvenation

Kathmandu, a city of GOD: was once a comprehensive heritage city contemplating the nature, society and
culture in its compact homogeneous community. Various researchers, travelers and artists had mentioned about
the architectural magnificence of the valley since centuries till few decades back. But the situation has distorted
in the present retrospect, city is no longer the example of architectural magnificence rather the chaos of concrete
containers in verge of picking moneymaking architecture or traditional indigenous art.

FIG. 2 WATERCOLOUR BY HENRY AMBROSE OLDFIELD, C. 1855: PATAN DURBAR SQUARE (1&2) & TEMPLES AT PASHUPATINATH
1
60 storied skyscraper’s windows were falling out and crashing to the pavements below.
2
Referred as un-sustainable architecture “ Hottest spot of in town” in http://www.east-asia-architecture.org/aotm/
3
stainless steel building caused unnatural reflective environment
4 Rudofsky B., 1987 "Architecture without Architects: A Short Introduction to Non-Pedigreed Architecture."
Asian Architectural Youth Symposium 2013

The Responsibility of Designer: Respect the human and nature

But the town was not always like this, it had always fulfilled: Social requirement with the welcoming urban
public spaces, Architectural magnificence with the intricately carved doors & windows and fine proportionate
buildings, Nature co-existence with the environment friendly design and construction and Human scale design
with aspect of road, house, temples and palace. When talking about design of spaces of the past, two
characteristics come instantly to the fore: pedestrian scale of design and superb community spaces distributed
around town. All these features made the town respond and belong to communities rather than individuals.
Street was more than just a movement artery for pedestrians but also served as an activity space, where relation
of house and street was quite clearly intended to interact visually as well as physically.
Observing to any of the pictures from the past, one can simply say how nature friendly cities and human
friendly architecture were developed at that time, something we would like to call “Organic architecture”,
derived from the nature and guided by the human behavior. Material selection were directly from the nature
and it would end up in nature with the same state completing the cycle of sustainability. Very surface analysis
of pictures from past could be;
 Slope roofs: “responding to the rainy climate of Kathmandu”,
 Brick paved roads “Usage of local materials and pores in brick
joints directly or indirectly supporting the integrated water
recharge system of the valley”
 Width of road and scale of building: “closely linked with the
social and cultural behavior of the people”
 Building and urban forms : “ expressing in artistic manner yet
relating to the day to day lifestyle and belief of people, like
practice of gods, animals and birds idol as sculpture” FIG 3 : URBAN KATHMANDU
But with the changes in time and contemporary concept of academic design knowledge, modern
architecture evolved suppressing the traditional indigenous understanding. Architectural historian Prof. Dr.
Sudarshan Raj Tiwari mentions about transition in urban design and urban form of the Kathmandu valley as
“….The changes over the period have been so extensive that it would be difficult to imagine the past, since we
live today having pushed the pedestrian to the corner in difference to motor vehicles. Gods have to move around
in festivals today well in the day so that the electric lines may be restored for the night and joy of men.” Skyline
of the residences are distorted along with the roof profile and the human scale in architecture. Study of some
of the evidences of the past and the existing scenario, vindicates some of the errors that modern developers and
designers did in the course of rapid urbanization and imitating western civilization. Some of the major turns in
transitional phase (Decay of Traditional architecture) of Kathmandu are:
 Replacement of traditional material and technologies with RCC technology, creating liberty in
superimposed forms contradicting with the natural as well as social co-existence.
 Design criteria- limiting of prioritization with only utilitarian aspect of architecture which is unanimously
defined by the user’s interest.
 “Short-Term Financial Profit vs. Long-Term Economic Benefit”. After the open capitalist market,
compromise with spatial quality of building has also diverted the face of architecture where it is majorly
guided by business motives.
 Change in the social pattern like “Separation of community” has resulted in individualization over social
responsibility and public ownership with result in decrease in social bondage.
Kathmandu is a city with lost identity which is in search of its character in between modern and traditional
pathway. Kathmandu can’t be adjudicated as an assembled city which can be integrated anywhere in the space
rather it has its own history, culture, social behavior and co-existence with nature since a very long-long time.
Reviving of the city has majorly two aspect to consider as challenges and guidelines: accomplishing its modern
demands and keeping its essence of traditional architecture, which is only possible when designers feel their
responsibility towards behavioral pattern of nature and human.
 Asian Architectural Youth Symposium 2013

The Responsibility of Designer: Respect the human and nature

3. Architecture for tomorrow

Every stage of human civilization has developed its own unique building styles, by either borrowing from
past cultures or inventing original forms; yet always in an integrated manner of nature, humanity and socio-
cultural behavior of that particular era. Many cities have already decayed and many are in the state, many are
in the state of revival and many are rejuvenating, city development and architectural transition is a continuous
process but it must always be guided by certain law of nature and ease the human vicinity. Lloyd’s organic
architecture has also addressed ideas about the relationship of the human scale to the landscape (Nature), the
use of new materials like glass and steel to achieve more spatial architecture, and the development of a
building’s architectural “character,” which was his answer to the notion of style.
If we go back in time and see how cradle of civilizations had shaped some incredible architectural forms,
the inspiration for the point of genesis had always been the sources of nature. Even the most primitive forms
of architecture stood up with the nature's materials molded up. Likely are the ones, even in the current time
being, the materials abstracted from nature either used in the purest forms or modified. Apparently, if there's
questions over livable environment or human friendly cities at present time, it is for the reason that the balance
was disregarded: “The balance of give and take between architectural forms and nature” But one must consider
that, no matter how much technologies advance, nature never fails to justify its superiority, Global warming,
Earthquakes, etc. are the repercussions of the attempted Manmade vs. Nature.
Entire has not vanished, of course. Humankind is irrepressible, and thousands of structures reflecting the
human essence are erected around the world today and in the recent past, even though we never hear about
them. They are indigenous, vernacular, and many of them self-built, together with all languages of human
intuition about what a healthy environment has to be. Even the buildings in third-world favelas have more life
in them than award-winning modernist or postmodernist erections. More formal buildings built in provincial
traditional styles also prosper: Again, we don’t see them in the mass media. There are also quite a number of
contemporary architects working with the classical form language, and many of their buildings are pleasing.
Architects who relearn how to design classical buildings free up their instinct to perceive wholesome spaces,
forms, and surfaces, and therefore their product is adaptive to human sensibilities. Throughout time,
architecture has persisted as one of the most profoundly important reflections of culture. Each architectural
work has a significant role in restoring balance between buildings, cities and our ecological inventory surely
ecological urbanism without ecological architecture is impossible. The realization that nature embraces the city
has powerful implications for how cities are built and maintained and for the health, safety, and welfare of each
resident. Cities should be an extension of our natural environment. There is a need for the city to connect to
organic structures systematically. We as designer must integrate social and technological resources in an effort
to create an exchange of ideas and implementable action plan to redesign unhealthy urban habitats in balance
with nature and humanity….
References
1) Tiwari, S.R “City Space and Life then, 150 years ago- A presentation of concept and realities”.
2) Yılmaz, M. (2006), “sustainable design in architecture”
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_theory
4) http://thoughteconomics.blogspot.com/2012/06/role-of-architecture-in-humanitys-story.html
5) http://www.thenatureofcities.com/2013/05/26/architecture-and-urban-ecosystems-from-segregation-
to-integration/
6) http://architecturefortomorrow.com/
7) http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/view/PublicValueHumanities_9781849662451/chapter-ba-
9781849662451-chapter-0011.xml
8) http://www.pureinsight.org/node/1017
9) http://www.designwithpurposeblog.com/2012/08/14/organic‐architecture‐2/
10) http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/index.htm
11) http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2011/11/4028/

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