Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment

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Design Approaches and Philosophies
of its ideas and a willingness to adapt itself to changing needs and to learn from
past mistakes. Rogers criticizes the use of architectural elements from previous
periods by postmodernist architects. His criticism also targets Prince Charles’s
interventions in the architecture field. Rogers advocates for the creation of harmonious
cityscapes by juxtaposition of buildings of different styles, each
reflecting the time of its conception, similar to the formation of historic
cityscapes such as Venice. Answering a question from Patrick Garnett about
design proposals for the National Gallery in London, Rogers defends his position
by saying “scale is more important than style [in the formation of a harmonious
urban environment]” (p. 883). In the same answer, he also states that “to
copy the neighboring buildings belittles the past.” (A.P.A.G.)
Schumacher, Tom. 1971. Contextualism: Urban ideals and deformation. Casabella
35 (359–60): 78–86.
In this article, the author addresses the architecture and urbanism community,
presenting contextualism as the most appropriate theory to deal with the problems
faced by 20th-century cities. Schumacher defines contextualism as the
middle ground between traditional and modern urbanism. According to the
author, the final form of a building should be a result of both internal and external
forces. He considers a building’s functional requirement as the internal force
that should be formed by external pressures coming from the context in which
the building will be inserted. Schumacher argues that the designer is able to
strike a balance by equally considering both influences. (A.P.A.G.)
Semes, Steven W. 2009. The Future of the Past: A Conservation Ethic for
Architecture, Urbanism, and Historic Preservation. New York: Norton.
Semes’s approach to designing new constructions in historic urban environments
is rooted in the idea that these sites should be treated as “living entities.”
Consequently, these sites should be allowed to adapt to current needs as long as
the proposed solutions do not compromise the characteristics that define the
site’s historic values. In order to facilitate understanding among the different
professionals involved in the preservation of historic cities, Semes proposes that
architects, planners, and preservationists agree upon the same conservation
ethic. Throughout the book, the author identifies four different approaches to
designing in the historic city: literal replication (chapter 8), invention within a
style (chapter 9), abstract reference (chapter 10), and intentional opposition
(chapter 11). However, chapter 1 leaves no doubt that the book advocates for
“continuity instead of contrast—without copying historic buildings and without
introducing alien forms” (p. 29). Semes bases his design approach on the methodology
of traditional architecture. He defines this design methodology as
designing by respecting the lessons of past architecture practices and by building
on its successful models and examples. According to the author, this
approach results in gradual change to the built environment as opposed to the
abrupt changes caused by contemporary designs that are divorced from their
context. It is important to note that the author prescribes not a style but a methodology.
(A.P.A.G.)
Contemporary Architecture in the Historic Environment: An Annotated Bibliography - Getty Conservation Institute - 2015