Critical Regionalism in Reality

 Architect should reflect the history of its time and place, but how does it do so without becoming a caricature of that place. Architects rarely live where they design buildings in today's market. Many large firms design internationally. Small firms may design within their state, but this also constitutes changes in climate, culture, and style. How can one architect's design reflect and interpret their building region? The architect will need to be very informed about the local culture and ideas if they will implement critical regionalism in an unfamiliar area. It is convenient to stereotype a region with a particular kind of architecture, especially in other countries that an architect is unfamiliar with. Wood and natural materials, clean lines, and neutral colors characterize Scandinavian architecture. Mexican architecture is full of bright colors and natural earth materials. Charleston is characterized by the "single house," allowing the prevailing wind to pass through the home. While these statements have truth to them, they fail to capture the presence of the architectural pictures shown below of these areas. It takes a more profound knowledge of the meaning and use of the materials to capture the special opportunities they are capable of.