This Gives Me Anxiety

At what point do modern extensions to historic structures and cities surpass and overwhelm, rather than complement or enhance?

The Royal Ontario Museum was one of the first buildings that came to mind for me when discussing design that lacks a sense of place: that refuses to respect and respond to its surroundings.  To me, this structure seems encompass all that aspires to this condition of complete placelessness.  Not only does it not fit within the greater context of the city, but it’s obnoxiously aggressive tectonic form also overwhelms and diminishes the historical beauty of the adjoining 120-year old museum structure.  When I look at this, I am not in awe of either structure but, rather, just overcome with anxiety, confusion and chaos.

While this is an extreme example, it is true that evolutionary forms of architecture often surpass and overwhelm the historic.  As designers, we are taught right from the get-go to always take into consideration topography, orientation, climate, light, etc. when laying out a building on a site.  But these are not the only elements that root the building and provide it with a sense of place, or local identity.  It can be easy to ignore context and form when zoomed in on the site parcel – considering only the natural elements that may have an impact on the design, rather the impact the design will have on the greater context.  How can we push our designs so that, as we take part in the evolution and transformation of architecture, we are creating pieces that complement or enhance the past, rather than surpass and overwhelm it?