CRITICAL REGIONALISM

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY
01 What is critical regionalism, how it started.

CONCEPT AND FEATURES

02 How was the form achieved, What was the concept behind it.

ARCHITECTS
03 Architects and their contribution.

CONCLUSION
04 Views about this ism.
INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL REGIONALISM

• Critical regionalism is an approach to architecture that strives to counter the

placelessness and lack of identity of the International Style, but also rejects the
whimsical individualism and ornamentation of Postmodern architecture.

• Critical regionalism is not simply regionalism in the sense of vernacular architecture. It

is a progressive approach to design that seeks to mediate between the global and the
local languages of architecture. 
Alvar Aalto Säynätsalo Town Hall
HISTORY

Critical Regionalism Flourished From - 1983

HISTORY

• In the 1980’s a few architects and theorists were disappointed with the direction that
architecture was taking under the influence of postmodernism.

• Rather than unveiling the historicity of style in their designs, postmodern architects
became another avant garde (New and experimental ideas) that produced designs that
mimicked classical style.

• The term critical regionalism was first used by Alexander Tzonis and Liane Lefaivre and
later more famously by Kenneth Frampton.

• Regionalism is an idea stuck to vernacular, and Modernism is about total newness .

• Critical regionalism says, 'do not copy vernacular as such, as the region/context does
not exist anymore’. You are not denouncing regionalism, but being critical about it.
OTHER INFORMATION

• Sometimes Regionalism goes back to just Conservatism and resorts to blind use of
vernacular.

• But Critical Regionalism seeks architectural traditions that are deeply rooted in the
local conditions.

• This results in a highly intelligent and appropriate architecture.

• In its broadest sense, then, the Critical Regionalist sensibility looks to the uniqueness of
site and location -a design method that is assuredly modern but relies on the organic
unity of local material, climatic, and cultural characteristics to lend coherence to the
finished work. The result is an architecture suited to light and touch.
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CRITICAL REGIONALISM
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The main problem of critical regionalism is to

seek answers to the question of Paul Ricour:

"How to be modern and to continue the

tradition, how to revive an old dormant
civilization as part of universal civilization."
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CRITICAL REGIONALISM
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The basic goal was to find a middle ground between the two extremes.

MODERNISM
While the modernists strived to create
a place-less "universal" architecture
with the International Style, critical
regionalists insisted that the building
must reflect the culture and tradition
of its region through its design and
materials.
POSTMODERNISM
While the postmodernists celebrated
ornamentation for its own sake, critical
regionalists insisted that stylistic
flourishes must only be applied in a
measured and meaningful way.
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FEATURES OF THIS ISM
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Social and Cultural Climate

Appropriateness: Responsiveness:
Does the architecture of the
Does the architecture of the building respond self-evidently
building respond to the social needs to the climatic conditions at
and lifestyle choices of its intended the site where it is situated?
users?

Materiality:
Rationalist And Function
Does the project use locally
Based available materials
Logic based elements and predominantly for the
ornamentation construction?

Context-specific Ecology and Landscape

Architecture Does the project minimise the
Does the design respect the impact of its construction on the
character of the surroundings ecology of the site and the
in which it is situated? surroundings?
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RAJ REWAL
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• Raj Rewal is a leading Indian architect .

•  A distinguished doyen of architecture from India, Raj
Rewal has set global precedents with his urban narratives
of design that have been integrally and richly steeped in
their contextual inferences.
• 1934–1951 Lived in delhi & shimla
• He attended Harcourt Butler higher secondary school.
• 1951-1954 he attended the Delhi School of
Architecture in New Delhi. After completing a degree in
architecture in New Delhi,
• He moved to London in 1955 where he lived until 1961
•  1956 -60 from Brixton School of Building London and also
attended the architecture assocition school for 1 year
• Raj Rewal worked at Michel Ecochards office
in Paris before starting his practice in New Delhi in 1962.
• 1963-72, he taught at the School of Planning and
Architecture, Delhi.
• He opened a second office at Tehran, Iran in 1974. 
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RAJ REWAL
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Awards
• Gold Medal 1989 by the Indian Institute of Architects.
• Robert Mathew Award 1989 by the Commonwealth Association of
Architects.
• Mexican Association of Architects award in 1993 for regional values.
• Architect of the Year 1994 Award by J.K. Trust for the design of World
Bank Resident Mission building in New Delhi.
• Lifetime achievement award 2001 by the Institution of Engineers (India).
• Golden Architect Award 2003 by A+D and Spectrum Foundation.

Projects
• Asian Games Village, New Delhi
• Central Institute of Education Technology, New Delhi
• Cidco Housing, Navi Mumbai
• Coal India Complex, Kolkata
• Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Headquarters, New Delhi
• French Embassy Staff Quarters, New Delhi
• Satish Gujral House, New Delhi
• Grapecity - Japanese Software Center, NOIDA
• Hall of Nations, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
• Indian Embassy, Beijing (China)
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PARLIAMENT LIBRARY, NEW DELHI
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Project details :
Location - New Delhi Architect - Raj Rewal
Building type - library Client - Lok sabha secretariat,
Built area - 60’460 m²

Concept :
• Inspired by le corbusier and by the rasa theory.
• The main assembly of the parliament & the focal centre of the new
Library lie on the same axis
• The idea is taken from adinath temple in 16th century.
• Symmetrical & balanced composition .
• separate blocks are proposed for different  planning aspect
• The biggest geometrical problem:circular shape of parliament, tough
To relate to the library complex, within its triangular shape site.
• Courtyards form the important feature of design ,keeping in
mind delhi’s extreme climate.
• It is demarcated into 3 zones for easy accessibility & utility for v.I.P
& General public.
• Height of the building restricted to podium level of parliament house
Features

PLANNING
• The plan of the building is inspired by
precolonial indian architecture .
• Each courtyard symbolizes one aspect of the
indian constitution
• One is an amphitheater, symbolizing freedom of
expression.
• Another courtyard has a pool of water
symbolizing equality.
• A tree forms the focal point of the third
courtyard, representing social justice

FEATURES
• A variety of domes constructed of light weight
fibre sheet, structural glass & bricks admit
filtered light to the spaces below.
• Balance between light weight elegance of high
tech domes & the red white sandstone .
• Involves a composite arrangement of 4 petals.
Features

• Flooring - kota stone

• Landscape - grass embakements
• Courtyards are provided for direct
light & ventilation.
• Material used - sandstone, concrete,
brick and glass
• jalis features
• The sub-structure makes use of
innovative foundation 14 metres
below ground.
• The structure - reinforced concrete
frame system, coffered concrete slabs,
supported by circular reinforced
concrete columns.
• five types of structural lattice.
• 4 storey high atrium gets light even
into the basement that store nearly 3
million books in compact system
ceiling & cantilever stairs.
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STATE
ARCHITECTS
TRADING CORPORATION BUILDING, NEW DELHI
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PROJECT DETAILS
Building type - office
Year – 1976

CONCEPT
Evolves modern architecture rooted in traditional wisdom.
Inspired from jaisalmer forts and jodhpur (vernacular).

PLANNING
• Site has 4 gateways defining particular zone of
the building.
• 18 storey building spread horizontally.
• L – shaped plan of adjoining towers.
• Office floor with 15 m span free from external columns.
• Repetition of octagonal openings.
• Deep octagonal forms provide cooling and shading.
• Repetition of cubic forms
• Interrelation between every space
• Structure of girders between structural cores
resembles traditional jail.
Features
FEATURES
• Presence of courtyards
• Presence of semi-public spaces
• Uplift the architecture as both
functional and artistic in nature.
• Open spaces and unfilled pattern
movement
• Material used is sandstone .
• Clusters enduring vernacular style.
• Use of skylights.
• Atrium of cottage industry emporium
jalis in concrete.
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NARI GANDHI (1934 – 1993)
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• Nariman (Nari) Dossabhai Gandhi was born in 1934

in Surat to a Zoroastrian Parsi family from Bombay. He
was one of the six children with three brothers and
two sisters.
• Naris completed his schooling DDFF at St. Xavier's High
School, Fort, Mumbai, and studied architecture at Sir J.
J. College of Architecture, Mumbai for five years in the
early 1950s.
• He travelled to US to apprentice with Frank Lloyd
Wright at the Taliesin and spent five years there.
• After Wright's death in 1959, Nari left Taliesin
• studied pottery at the Kent State University for two
years.
• He passionately worked on as many as 30 projects
over a period of as many years
• He died in a tragic accident in 1993 near Khopoli,
while he was on the way to one of his project sites at
Kolgaon
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NARI GANDHI
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Architectural style
• Nariman Dossabhai Gandhi's ideologies and works were in sharp
contrast to the mainstream architectural thinking.
• His works display a distinctive organic character.
• Nari's works display highly skilled craftsmanship and structural
ingenuity.
• He has stacked earthen pots to construct arches out of them and built
stairs out of brick arches. Throughout his works you see extraordinary
use of stone, brick, wood, glass and leather
Selected works
• Mountain Lodge for Jal Gobhai at Lonavala
• Residence for Asha Parekh at Juhu, Mumbai
• Farm house for S H Daya at Alibag
• Residence for Kishore Bajaj at Karjat
• Residence for Rustom Mehta at Korlai, Alibag
• Mausoleum at Kolgaon near Ahmednagar
• Gateway to mosque at Kolgaon
• Patel residence at Surat
• Jain house at Lonavala
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JAIN HOUSE, LONAVLA 1989-1992
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JAIN HOUSE, LONAVLA 1989-1992

A house like a terrace garden among several terraced gardens, sloping majestically down a hill
site along the natural slope of the terrain- a work of pure genius- a magnum opus- that’s how one
can describe the Jain bungalow, one of the several houses designed by Nari Gandhi at Lonavla,
situated between Mumbai and Pune
Features

Terraced Gardens: The Starting Point

• Nari has designed the house in a way that it blends with these gardens, following the same
gradient all the way. 
• The terraced gardens are planted with many local varieties of local plants and trees, adding to the
beauty of the bungalow that has a massive roof.
• This roof is speckled with several dormer windows and covered with Manglore tiles.
Features

An Ingenious Structure

• The deep overhangs of the massive roof create the stepped profile of the structure and the hilly
backdrop highlights it even more.
• The architect has used stone masonry walls of varying sizes and colors, composed of locally
available igneous rocks.
• Metal trusses emerging from these walls support the gigantic roof while radiating struts shooting
up from the ground level hold the deep overhangs.
Features
Stone Claddings And Masonry Work
Features

Growing Among The Trees

• Jain bungalow has a scattered spatial arrangement- nine rooms in all partially dictated by the
existing trees on the site.
• The structure thus grows virtually among the trees.
• Detail view of skylight court and its chipped stonework with built in planter beds surrounded by
circular openings, and a blue glass chipped hemisphere.
 
Features
Internal Courts: Binding The Disconnected Arrangement

Interior view of the bedroom wall showing the exposed truss overhead and elongated polygonal
openings set in dressed stone masonry
• Several courts provided on different levels help give a unified look to the stepped, disconnected
arrangement of independent rooms.
• These courts are covered in transparent corrugated fiberglass sheets making them more useful for
the occupants.
• Similarly, the dormer windows scattered over the roof are seen from the landscape around the
bungalow help unify the rooms visually.
Features
Variety of openings in stone masonry
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PRESENTATION BY

SHUBHAM RAHUL JENIL DILIP MANSI