Context is the interconnected circumstances under which anything exists or occurs. “Architecture should speak of its time and location, but desire for timelessness,” says Frank Gehry. While standing out, architecture should be tied to when and where it is developed.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, context is the backdrop for an event, statement, or concept so that it may be completely understood. In simplest terms, context may be described as the interrelated whole produced by its pieces.
Contextual architecture responds to its environment by respecting what is already there, as opposed to de-constructivism or constructivism, which works against established design and fabric conventions. Buildings contrast with their surroundings due to deliberate antagonism shattering the homogeneity of the surroundings.
Contextualism
A structure is created using contextualism, also known as contextual architecture, in response to the unique urban and natural surroundings. Contextualism may be seen as a set of ideals that incorporates not just the immediate but also the larger context of a structure into its design rather than as an architectural style.
The context in architecture refers to how a building’s components are understood concerning its surroundings. A building’s context might include physical and natural elements (like the bend in a nearby river), socio-cultural elements (like the site’s prior use), and more. These elements may be examined, modified, and incorporated to help the structure fit with its surroundings.
Contextualism has three distinctive facets, which are:
- Vernacular Architecture: Vernacular architecture is distinguished by its dependence on local requirements, building resources, and customs. It is a style of architecture unique to the time and places it was created. Vernacular architecture has more details.
- Regional Architecture:
In the late 1960s, regional architecture emerged, which advocated that buildings should refer to their physical, cultural, and political surroundings. It entails combining conventional, regional resources with contemporary ones. It was motivated by understanding the significance of re-establishing harmony between people, artefacts, and nature in a contemporary setting.
According to the thesis, there is a conflict between national culture and internationalism. Styles and forms frequently quickly migrate from one place to another, leaving local architecture to adjust to and incorporate the new culture.
- Critical Regionalism:
Kenneth Frampton defines critical regionalism as a regional architectural strategy that aims for universality. It accepts modern architecture critically for its universal, progressive aspects while also considering and appreciating context-specific reactions. It uses contextual allusions to establish a feeling of the location to counteract modernism’s lack of meaning. The difference between critical regionalism and regionalism is that the latter seeks to have a constructive relationship with local architecture without being consciously involved with the universal.
Importance of Context in Architecture.
Architecture significantly impacts how we live, think, and interact. Each street, city, and civilisation are made of it. Renzo Piano expressed it best in his 1998 Pritzker acceptance speech: “You may put down a lousy book; You can avoid listening to awful music, but you cannot overlook the unsightly tower block opposite your house.” Architecture is practically hard to ignore. Because how architecture is forced on society, it is a risky profession from a societal perspective. It forces complete absorption on the user without giving them a chance. It thus becomes a very significant obligation.
Our human knowledge is frequently founded on context; before deciding what to do next or what to think, we frequently try to comprehend the underlying circumstances. The illusion is only one of many instances that we may use to demonstrate the accuracy of context. This optical illusion shows how our interpretation and assessment of what we see and feel depends on the context of our surroundings.
Buildings do not stand alone. They are a component of a wider social fabric designed to motivate, facilitate, or house a variety of human endeavours. They provide chances for development in response to society’s sociocultural, economic, and political requirements. Therefore, the context in architecture simply refers to the outside factors that impact the structure and location. These components can be divided into two categories: physical and non-physical. The physical components of context include nearby structures, road networks, the shape of the land, and water table systems. In contrast, the non-physical components include politics, economics, social dynamics, and culture.
Before we intend to add a new component, context assessment offers us an understanding of what is already present. Buildings are only one component of the collage and a single piece of the bigger picture. The architectural style, material choice, and site layout may all be greatly influenced by a thorough study and understanding of the setting. A building should be introduced to encourage growth and optimism while causing the least amount of damage to the ecology possible. Architecture has the power to influence, alter, and ultimately change various issues, including economic and even racial inequality.
Natural Context in Architecture
One of the primary points of reference for contextual architecture is nature. For instance, the particular land conditions of the natural environment might impact architectural construction. The topography should be taken into account during the design phase. Working with a model is crucial for the topography-compatible design of an architectural building.
Climate and weather conditions from nature can have an impact on our buildings. It’s not simply a 3D art to be an architect. The main distinction between architecture and sculpture is that, since there is life inside it, it has an unlimited number of dimensions. The ideal combination of temperature, humidity, and airflow is required for inner comfort. Sun orientation and passive air conditioning are required to address these demands.
The use of passive cooling is crucial for environmentally friendly construction. Windows should assist the building in circulating the wind, and the necessary amounts of thermal insulation and steam breaker should be utilised. Building facade areas should be increased in humid regions to increase the building’s exposure to the wind; in hot and arid regions, courtyards and structures with thick walls should be planned.
Compact structures, which are often square, make buildings in colder climates less susceptible to climate change. For sustainable design, other factors, including the colour of the façade, the materials used, the kinds of trees around the structure, the opaque-to-transparent material ratio on the facade, the solar control components, a pool in the garden, and the building’s slope are all crucial.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water House is a superb example of architectural design amid nature. Frank Lloyd Wright created this home on top of a waterfall to blend with the surroundings. I advise you to look into Frank Lloyd Wright’s groundbreaking organic architecture and architectural knowledge in further detail. Wright believed that despite adhering to the demands of modern architecture, nature should play a significant role in architectural design.
Design in Artificial Environment
The artificial environment is the second most significant inspiration for architectural ideas. For instance, while developing in a historically significant area, we might wish to have our construction blend in with the other buildings. However, being affected by every structure around us might lead us to make poor design decisions. Never fall into the trap of copying while considering architecture concerning historical structures. We can interpret the ornaments or structural components to preserve the texture and utilise regular building supplies. We can design the same roof style or replicate the apertures on the façade in other ratios and rhythms. Looking like adjacent structures is not always the best method to blend in.
The built environment can influence architectural choices concerning local building materials and methods and the structures it hosts. As a result, it offers details on the buildings’ typical textures, the local culture, the way of life of the populace, and the area’s natural resources.
Each structure complements its surroundings beautifully. A big building with an old-fashioned texture ruins the urban silhouette and causes visual pollution. In Africa‘s sweltering heat, an Eskimo home dissolves. In a modern city, a typical village home is lost in the bustle and cannot stand alone.
To sum up, the most unique and relevant design concepts in architecture are those that take context into account. The two types of environments that make up the context are artificial and natural.
References:
- Researchtrend.net (2017) [Online]
Available at-
https://www.researchtrend.net/ijet/pdf/15-%20122.%20Nikhil%20sanghavi_Context%20in%20architecture%20Draft.pdf
- Designbuildings.co.uk (2016) [Online]
Available at-
https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Contextualism#:~:text=In%20an%20architectural%20sense%2C%20context,previous%20use)%20and%20so%20on.
- Rethinkingthefuture.com (2020) [Online]
https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectural-community/a2633-why-is-concept-and-context-important-in-architecture/
- Archeetect.com (2019) [Online]
https://archeetect.com/context-in-architecture/
