Ebook: Constructions An Experimental Approach to Intensely Local Architectures

The current trend for constructing experimental structures isnow an international phenomenon. It has been taken up worldwide bydesign professionals, researchers, educators and students alike.There exists, however, distinct and significant tendencies withinthis development that require further investigation. This issue ofAD takes on this task by examining one of the most promisingtrajectories in this area, the rise of intensely localarchitectures. In his seminal essay of 1983 Kenneth Frampton re-definedCritical Regionalism by calling for an intensely local approach toarchitectural design. He avoided a nostalgic or backward-lookingattitude to regional traditions by placing an emphasis oncontemporary construction and design techniques. Today,Frampton's legacy is regaining relevance for a specific bodyof work in practice and education focused on the construction ofexperimental structures. How might, though, this approach befurther extended by the adoption of informed locally specificnon-standard architectures? Could the most current design,production methods and tools be employed in order to respond to thespecifics of local sites and settings? Could this ultimatelyprovide the seeds for a compelling and alternative approach tosustainable design? Featured practices include: SHoP, Studio Mumbai, the earlyRenzo Piano Workshop, Rintala Eggertson and Tyin Tegnestue.Includes works by pioneering integrated educational andresearch teams: e[ad] Escuela De Arquitectura y Diseno - Pontificiauniversidad Catolica de Valparaiso, the Scarcity and CreativityStudio in Oslo, the OCEAN Design Research Association and workshopsdirected by Shin Egashira.Contributors include Barbarar Ascher, Karl Otto Ellefsen, BijoyJain, David Jolly Monge, Lisbet Harboe, Christopher Hight, JoakimHoen, David Leatherbarrow, Mathilde Marengo, Gregg Pasquarelli,Sami Rintala, Søren S.;Sørensen, Defne SunguroğluHensel and Jeffrey Turko.