The Art of Reconciling New and Old Architecture Forms
- Dr. Chafia Ferhat
- September 28, 2012
- Sustainability
- architecture, architecture movement, building design, Building re-use, buildings and developments, copy of building, Dr. Chafia Ferhat, evolution, FENN DESIGNERS, historical buildings, new and old forms, Sustainability
- 0 Comments
What strikes you in these images? Is there a clash here, does it intrigue you, bother or pleases you?
I am sure there are no simple answers to this question. Some of us love and want modern and new technological wonders others are rather well settled in the familiar, the conventional.
As architects we face this dilemma often;
Owners and clients sometimes come with strong likes and dislikes about the look and aesthetics of their buildings and developments. But as architects and designers, we strongly believe in developing and designing buildings that speak of their time and of the technological advances of nowadays.
So what would you do if clients want a copy of Khmer temple for a resort or a copy of state empire tower for a hotel? These are not imagined theories, these are facts! Well, we had two choices, decline the commission or take on the challenge and find a solution that meets both point of views. We approached this impasse by formulating concepts which are anchored within the overall client’s vision. Understanding what is the core belief driving that and extracting fundamentals that could be used to formulate our design criteria. Were we successful? In some cases yes, we managed to create synergy between our principles and beliefs and those of our clients, in other instances we failed.
We understand and appreciate the knowledge and wealth of know how encapsulated in traditional buildings. Every new architecture movement and all new architecture forms are simple evolution of old practices. But we have a duty and a historical responsibility as architects to leave a built environment that is testimony of our evolution and contribution to the betterment of the built environment. A copy of any old building no matter how perfect is still a copy!
