Nature and Critical Regionalism

 “You cannot simply put something new into a place. You have to absorb what you see around you, what exists on the land, and then use that knowledge along with contemporary thinking to interpret what you see." – Tadao Ando

Tadao Ando is an architect whose work exemplifies the theories behind Critical Regionalism.  His work is often sighted when asking for the very definition of the phrase.  A few of his works that come to mind are ‘Church on the Water’ and ‘Church of the Light’, both designed in the late 1980’s, these buildings attempt to create spiritual spaces that are focused around a single natural element of that region.  The Church of the Light uses thin strips of light to create an illuminated cross, carved out of the concrete façade. The light works to show a high contrast between figure ground but also to show the juxtaposition of permanence (the concrete) with the temporality of the light, the rest of the church is riddled with similar representational elements.  Tadao Ando uses natural elements as a tool for Critical Regionalism, and his projects are often (not always) set within nature.  I’m curious how Critical Regionalism can successfully be executed without evoking typical natural elements.  We have also been seeing examples of projects where the materiality of the building is its strongest element that makes if Critical Regionalist Architecture, but how do dense cities evoke Critical Regionalism in a dense urban fabric where these natural elements are not what comes to mind when you think of the specific culture? Let’s say in downtown Chicago, LA or NY?

Church of the Light

Church on the Water