Theory Nexus Building Critical Regionalism in Frampton's Greece

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Theory Nexus Building Critical Regionalism in Frampton's Greece 1 debate. These outlines are like those of the architectural site and have Stylianos Giamarelos Alexander Tzonis and been built on many times. Paradoxically, Frampton’s assertion of the Liane Lefaivre, ‘The Grid and the Pathway: An physical experience of site over the history of its culture or architec- Architecture in the Introduction to the Work ture developed out of a re-evaluation of modernism, a critical history. of Dimitris and Suzana Antonakakis, with Prole- An essay that can be seen in many ways as a rejection of that history History/ Theory Nexus gomena to a History of the Culture of Modern has inevitably become part of it. Ultimately, escaping architecture’s Greek Architecture’, past is no more possible for the critic than for the architect. Building Critical Regionalism in Architecture in Greece, no. 15 (1981), 164-178; Vincent Canizaro (ed.), Architectural Regional- Frampton’s Greece ism: Collected Writings on Place, Identity, Modernity, and Tradition (New York: Princeton Even for the digitally interconnected audiences of the twenty-first Architectural Press, century, Alexander Tzonis and Liane Lefaivre’s original theorisation 2007), 11. of Critical Regionalism remains ‘hiding away in [the] obscure journal’, Architecture in Greece, where it was published in 1981.1 By contrast, Kenneth Frampton’s best-selling book, Modern Architecture: A Critical History, whose second revised edition of 1985 included an additional closing chapter on Critical Regionalism, was successively republished over the past four decades, and is today available in more than ten languages, from Spanish to Chinese. Through this extensive global outreach, Frampton’s version of Critical Regionalism soon took precedence over the earlier account by Tzonis & Lefaivre. But for all their celebration of regional contexts, both Frampton’s and Tzonis & Lefaivre’s studies primarily reflected the broader theoretical concerns of Western European and North American architecture discourses of their time. And these concerns were in turn unrelated with the historical specificity of the Greek context that inspired Tzonis & Lefaivre’s original work. Still lying at the core of Critical Regionalism in its various forms, the tension between the general theoretical ambitions of its authors and the specific histories of the regional contexts it allegedly advocates remains unresolved. If Critical Regionalism is to remain viable, pertinent and relevant for the present, Rereadings Architecture in the History/ Theory Nexus 78 Stylianos Giamarelos 79 Frampton dat de architect in een a-histo- fysieke ervaring van de site de culturele Architectuur en het dwarsverband Lefaivre. Ondanks al hun aandacht voor 1 risch heden zou moeten werken. Het of architectonische geschiedenis van tussen geschiedenis en theorie de regionale context, weerspiegelen de Alexander Tzonis en Liane Lefaivre, ‘The Grid ‘kritisch’ dat terugkomt in zowel de titel die plaats overstijgt, ontstaan uit een Bouwen aan het kritisch regionalisme in studies van zowel Frampton als Tzonis & and the Pathway: An van Frampton’s essay als in die van het herwaardering van het modernisme, een het Griekenland van Frampton Lefaivre in de eerste plaats een bredere Introduction to the Work eraan voorafgaande boek, wordt geacht Critical History. Dit essay, dat in veel theoretische belangstelling voor het of Dimitris and Suzana Antonakakis, with Prole- alleen in geschreven vorm te bestaan. opzichten kan worden gezien als een West-Europese en Noord-Amerikaanse gomena to a History of Volgens Frampton is historische beeldtaal afwijzing van de geschiedenis, is daar Zelfs voor het digitaal met elkaar ver- architectuurdiscours van hun tijd. En die the Culture of Modern altijd herleidbaar tot een verdachte ideolo- onvermijdelijk onderdeel van geworden. bonden publiek van de eenentwintigste interesse staat los van de historische Greek Architecture’, gie en altijd reactionair en onkritisch. Uiteindelijk is het voor de criticus net eeuw blijft de oorspronkelijke theorie- specificiteit van de Griekse context, die Architecture in Greece, nr. 15 (1981), 164-178; Gebouwde geschiedenis, of het opnemen zomin mogelijk om aan het verleden vorming van Alexander Tzonis en Liane het oorspronkelijke werk van Tzonis & Vincent Canizaro van historische referenties in architectonische van de architectuur te ontsnappen als voor Lefaivre over kritisch regionalisme Lefaivre inspireerde. De spanning tussen (red.), Architectural composities, wordt – anders dan geschre- de architect. ‘verborgen in [het] obscure tijdschrift’ de algemene theoretische ambities van Regionalism: Collected Architecture in Greece, waar het in 1981 de auteurs en de geschiedenis van de regi- Writings on Place, ven geschiedenis – als reactionair beschouwd. Vertaling: InOtherWords, Maria van Tol Identity, Modernity, and Kritisch zijn valt binnen het domein van werd gepubliceerd.1 Kenneth Frampton’s onale context die ze onderzoeken, blijft Tradition (New York: de criticus, niet van de architect. best verkochte boek Modern Architecture: onopgelost. Wil het kritisch regionalisme Princeton Architectural ‘Towards a Critical Regionalism’ is A Critical History, waarvan de tweede vandaag levensvatbaar, pertinent en rele- Press, 2007), 11. vandaag de dag een belangrijk onderdeel herziene druk uit 1985 een extra hoofd- vant blijven, dan moet het de confrontatie van de architectuurgeschiedenis zelf. stuk over kritisch regionalisme bevatte, aangaan met zijn eigen verstrengeling Tegenwoordig verschaft het lezen van werd in de afgelopen vier decennia in het dwarsverband tussen geschiedenis deze tekst een terugblik in de tijd van de onophoudelijk heruitgegeven en is nu en theorie. Dit artikel, dat zich richt architectuur, waar de contouren van een beschikbaar in meer dan tien talen, van op Griekenland, ontwikkelt vanuit ouder debat te volgen zijn. Deze contouren Spaans tot Chinees. Door dit wereldwijde dit perspectief een genuanceerde kritiek zijn, net als architectonische plekken, vele bereik kreeg Frampton’s versie van op het kritisch regionalisme. malen opnieuw bebouwd. Paradoxaal kritisch regionalisme al snel voorrang genoeg is Frampton’s bewering dat de op de eerdere conceptie van Tzonis & 2 it needs to further address its own entanglement in the history/ theory Kenneth Frampton, nexus. Focusing on Greece, this article advances a nuanced critique of Modern Architecture: A Critical History Critical Regionalism along these lines. (London: Thames & Hudson, 1985), 313-327. 3 Alberto Sartoris, Gli Theory before History Elementi dell’Architettura Funzionale: Sintesi Pano- Drawn from Tzonis & Lefaivre’s original study, the Greek architects ramica dell’Architettura Moderna (Milan: Hoepli, (Aris Konstantinidis, Dimitris Pikionis, and Suzana and Dimitris 1935), 289-299. Antonakakis) discussed in the added closing chapter of Frampton’s 4 Kenneth Frampton, history, ‘Critical Regionalism: Modern Architecture and Cultural ‘Prospects for a Critical Identity’ had never built outside Greece.2 From their relative isolation, Regionalism’, Perspecta, no. 20 (1983), 147-162; Greek architects of the period suddenly found themselves at the fore- Kenneth Frampton, ‘Towards a Critical front of global developments in modern architecture. This was especially Regionalism: Six Points significant, as it was the first time in half a century that contemporary for an Architecture of Resistance’, in: Hal Foster Greek architecture was included in a history of modernism, after its sole (ed.), The Anti-Aesthetic: previous occurrence in Alberto Sartoris’s ‘panoramic’ purview of func- Essays on Postmodern Culture (Port Townsend, 3 tional architecture of the mid-1930s. But Frampton’s aspiration was WA: Bay Press, 1983), not limited to updating Sartoris’s earlier globally inclusive work. His 16–30. stance was polemical. Especially with his closing chapter, Frampton aspired to intervene in the crucial debates on architecture of the Western world of the early 1980s. In this context, he presented the Greek projects that concluded his history as an alternative, ‘critical regionalist’ rather than ‘postmodernist’, way out of the prolonged crisis of modern architecture. Rather crucially, Frampton argued, these projects could play this role because they were rooted in their specific place. But while the structure of the 1985 text suggests that the concluding six points of Critical Regionalism are extrapolated from the building projects that precede them, ‘Critical Regionalism: Modern Architecture Suzana & Dimitris Antonakakis, House/ huis, Spata (1973-1974) and Cultural Identity’ effectively fuses together two of Frampton’s earlier articles from 1983.4 In their original versions, these two texts have different focuses: one discusses specific buildings, the other addresses modern architecture in general theoretical terms. In other words, the Rereadings Architecture in the History/ Theory Nexus 80 Stylianos Giamarelos 81 2 5 polemisch. Vooral in zijn afsluitende hoofd- de andere de moderne architectuur in zijn discours ligt, is onderdeel van zijn van de architectuur. In zijn onderwijs aan Kenneth Frampton, Keith L. Eggener, Eerst theorie, dan geschiedenis stuk wilde Frampton ingrijpen in de meer algemene theoretische termen. Met eigen ontwikkeling door de jaren heen. Columbia University biedt het aankno- Modern Architecture: ‘Placing Resistance: A Critical History A Critique of Critical De Griekse architecten (Aris Konstantinidis, cruciale architectuurdebatten van de andere woorden, de historische en theore- Frampton’s grote belangstelling
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