Research Work: LO1

STUDY AND PROTECT

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
IN OUR COUNTRY

THE ROLE OF COMMUNITIES IN CONSERVATION OF

ARCHITECTURE

(APP 423 – PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 3)

Submitted by:

CYRIL KAYE D. DOLORZO

Submitted to:

AR. MARCELINO L. CABACABA

WHAT IS COMMUNITY?

Community is a word that we often use but rarely define. According to the Cambridge

dictionary, it is “people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a

unit because of their common interests, social group, or nationality.” However, it can

also be understood as a set of individuals that share similar political, religious, or

environmental views. These groups can be large and extensive – incorporating the

views of hundreds of thousands or niche and minuscule – housing only a handful of like-

minded enthusiasts. Communities are malleable, they expand and contract, people

leave, and others join. They are constantly in a state of flux and rarely stay the same for

long periods.

In the architecture profession, the word community is frequently used with the words

design and engagement. Community design usually refers to architects working

alongside residents to collaboratively shape the built environment. It aims to enhance

the culture, heritage and identity of a place by working with future and existing users.

On the other hand, community engagement strives to provide a sensitive moral

dimension to architecture which allows inhabitants to have a stake in what is built

around them. Community-based architecture is an interesting concept because

historically, architectural education has been an extremely individualised pursuit.

Traditionally, architecture school has largely focused on the development of personal

skills that seldom require collaboration with others let alone residents and local

communities. Students are often siloed and rarely work as part of a larger group despite

architects working in extensive design teams in the professional world.

Communities and Architecture are interlinked. In fact, the former guides the latter during

the design phase. Understanding communities in greater details give us a fairly good

idea of the kind of building that they need.

Communities feature a diversified mix of people, functions, and applications. Generally,

they revolve around family, social ties, and network connections. Interactions between

individuals is encouraged with growth and society being the primary focus. In fostering

these communities, Architecture can take the center stage and play a key role. But it’s

the designers and planners’ responsibility to fulfil their jobs and derive designing

guidelines by finding out and understanding the needs of the community.

When designed correctly, architecture can help build a sense of community bringing all

the residents closer together and nurturing stronger ties. Indeed, the connections

between communities and architecture run deep but designers have yet to understand

the intricacies involved. Considering small towns, they are often centered around the

school or park. Whatever activities are held at this school or park bridges or divides the

community in general.

Architectural design must create a sense of community while also being applicable to

the region.

The Role of Culture:

When designing buildings for the community, culture plays a key role. In literal terms,

culture defines a group’s common experiences, customs, and ideas. Culture comprises

race, origin, religion, gender, class, and other factors. Should individuals desire, they
can change their culture by adopting new trends or moving to a different place

altogether.

THE ROLE OF COMMUNITIES IN CONSERVATION OF ARCHITECTURE

Culture plays a huge role in daily lives influencing people vies, values, dreams, hopes,

loyalties, worries and fears. Understanding cultural practice is important if the goal is to

bring these people closer together.

Also bear in mind that cultural groups may have different strengths and opinions that

can benefit the larger community in general.

Understanding the Needs of the Community

Architects must understand the needs of the community before they can design spaces

that can strengthen ties and relationships between individuals.

1. Ask the Stakeholders- Ask potential users of the buildings about their

needs. Have a one — on — one conversation with them, interview them in a

group, conduct polls or take surveys. Through these methods, the potential

users of the buildings will respond and explain their basic needs and the

manner in which space, or the built environment can facilitate them.

2. Talk to Residents of Similar Communities- If similar communities have

been built in the past, talking to the current residents can give an idea of how
 the buildings should be designed. Requirements may vary but this still gives

a general idea.

3. Be Specific- Architects should ask specific questions if needs are unclear.

Plus, the questions should also be tweaked or rephrased to understand

which need greater priority.

4. Get In Touch with Experts - Discuss residents’ needs, design approaches

and desired features with other industry experts. Brainstorm together and

come up with interesting and innovative architectural solutions through which

the needs of the audience can be met.

5. Interact With People Belonging to Different Cultures: Architects should

involve people of different cultures so as to make the building and space

more effective.

General Architecture Design Principles

In broad terms, community architecture comprises three main things.

 The structure and the buildings must be inviting.

 Materials used must reflect and complement well with the existing
architecture in the area.

 The scale must match other buildings in the vicinity.

Ways in Which Architecture Brings People Closer

A single destination building serves only one purpose or function, so the experience is

not multilayered. As an example, a shopping mall that is located on the borders of a

town will be filled with life when the stores are open, but as soon as they close down,

the building and the surrounding area becomes dull and isolated. Newer architectural

trends are different from traditionally followed practices. Multilayered experience is the

new focus; the building design should feature multiple touchpoints to facilitate

interactions and foster connections.

Consider a residential neighborhood that is next to a commercial space with cafes,

restaurants and even an art gallery. Such a community is diverse and can be used in

multiple ways for multiple reasons. Thus, it remains lively and vibrant throughout the

day.

The Physical Experience

An individual experiences architecture by using and interacting with space. public

buildings can be explored physically and hence, are often successful. However, this

physical design must be beautifully crafted and should enable the creation of a cultural

complex that inspires and awes the public.

Meeting Socio-Economic Needs

A building is never a stand-alone component of any community. Thus, when it is

designed, the general appearance and broader needs of the community must be

considered. If the design is innovative and thoughtful, architecture strengthens the

community. For instance, a kindergarten school that caters to children below 6 years of

age should be designed in such a way that it encourages interaction. It should have

extra corridors, ramps rather than stairs and encourage learning. Plus, it should be set

up in such a way that parents can walk children to school instead of sending them

through a bus. This will allow parents to interact with other parents, hence leading to a

stronger community.

Preserving Communities

Building design impacts communities and its various elements such as the environment

and the public transit system. These must be preserved through any means possible.

The example of The Vale Living with Lakes Centre in Sudbury must be quoted in this

context. The building does not harm the existing landscape in any way. Plus, it has

been set up using sophisticated technology; rainwater that falls on the surface is

cleaned before being passed back to the lake. The building also encourages

collaboration and innovation and has functional spaces for events and laboratories for

scientists.

In a nutshell, architectural design practices should incorporate cultural traditions, the

needs of the people and the communities in which they live. The design must be

inclusive so that they accommodate everyone and facilitate interactions and

sustainability to minimize environmental impacts.

In the architecture profession, the word community is frequently used with the words

design and engagement. Community design usually refers to architects working

alongside residents to collaboratively shape the built environment. It aims to enhance

the culture, heritage and identity of a place by working with future and existing users.

On the other hand, community engagement strives to provide a sensitive moral

dimension to architecture which allows inhabitants to have a stake in what is built

around them. Community-based architecture is an interesting concept because

historically, architectural education has been an extremely individualised pursuit.

Traditionally, architecture school has largely focused on the development of personal

skills that seldom require collaboration with others let alone residents and local

communities. Students are often siloed and rarely work as part of a larger group despite

architects working in extensive design teams in the professional world

REFERENCES:

 Adams, S. (2020) “WHAT IS ‘COMMUNITY’ AND THE ROLE OF

ARCHITECTURE IN SHAPING COMMUNITIES?”

https://deroseesa.com/architecture/what-is-community-and-the-role-of-

architecture-in-shaping-communities/#:~:text=In%20the%20architecture

%20profession%2C%20the,collaboratively%20shape%20the%20built

%20environment.

 Gupta, U. (2020) “The Link Between Community and Architecture- Designing

Building for the Communities based on their Needs”

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/link-between-community-architecture-designing-

building-utssav-gupta