Practice of "Critical Regionalism" Outside the States

When it comes to the term of critical regionalism, my understanding for this term is "Using a modern architectural language to interpret local identity in the design process. " This concept have been mentioned several times in my past few years architecture education, especially in case study when I received a new studio project. It is more emphasized in my previous architecture education.

We know there is a huge cultural difference between eastern Asia and Western countries. However, Chinese architecture education is much influenced by Western architecture education. The founders of Modern Chinese architecture (Sicheng Liang, Huiyin Lin, etc.)were educated in University of Pennsylvania. They inherit the way that UPenn taught them and using the similar techniques to teach their students in the first Department of Architecture in Tsinghua University.  Their students later become the directors or professors of other architecture schools in China.  Several courses of "Chinese architecture history" are throughout at least two semesters in undergraduate study which are as important as students to learn about the History of western architecture, because it is improper to teach students to design in the way that western architects do in a land with thousand years of history and another cultural.

Especially, many young Chinese architects nowadays have academic background in the United States which is the largest platform for "universalization architectural education". Few years later after graduation,  those architects might to go back to their original cultural background to practice.   A lot of Chinese architects are doing very good job in their practice when it comes to the interpretation of local identity. For example, 2012 Pritzker winner Shu Wang and his partner Wenyu Lu (Amateur Architecture Studio) have several projects using local available material like bamboo or recycled material like tiles and bricks in the design element.

                                         

                                            Amateur Studio, Xiangshan Campus, Chinese Academy of Arts

Also one of very famous and successful project from Chinese American architect I.M.PEI, Suzhou Museum, is also a typical representatives of "critical regionalism". It learned from the surrounding buildings' form, shape and natural environment, and represent the Chinese culture in a modern minimal geometric way.

                                                                              Suzhou Museum, I M PEI

Architects who have local cultural background do have some advantages when it comes to the weaving local identity into the design process, since they are so familiar with the local climate, accessible material, building techniques, and these types of ideas have been planted within their minds ever since they were  trained to be an architects.

However, I don't think that an architecture didn't shown much local identity is a failure. In a globalization world, it is typical that architects from different cultural background to have international practice.  Every project have its challenges like structures, cost or building techniques. Proposal that showing local identity could strengthen the acceptance of local community, or it could be one of the selling point of proposal, but I think that the projects proposal that provide best solution for challenge (durable structure system, innovative building techniques, or extremely low cost ) will stand out. That's why many overseas architectural firms always won the competition in several Chinese project in the past decade.