Complementary architecture

Complementary architecture is a movement in contemporary architecture that emphasizes a holistic, context-aware practice. It aims to contribute to and enhance an environment's pre-existing qualities through essential characteristics like sustainability, altruism, contextualism, endemism, and the continuity of a specific regional design language.

Complementary architecture is mostly used as a majority of structures before the 20th century.

Etymology

Australian architect Jiri Lev coined the term in his Manifesto of Complementary Architecture (MOCA) in 2015, creating it as a response to the increasing impact of globalized design trends and their lack of local sensitivity. True to its meaning, the word 'complement' stems from the Latin complementum (derived from complēre, "to fill, complete"), a root that is reflected in its contemporary meanings related to completion or accomplishment.

Critics

This movement specifically rejects contemporary architects' focus on building individual structures instead of cohesive cities, asserting that a building's value is derived from its architectural context. It views the modern contrast with nature and surroundings—often driven by a desire for innovation—as selfish and inevitably destructive. Adherents claim that the 20th century move away from traditional and decorative forms was viewed by socialists as a mark of simplicity and solidarity, and by capitalists as efficient. They thus conclude that "virtually all buildings constructed before the 20th century were beautiful," suggesting that contemporary architectural beauty is merely a matter of "recovering old customs."

Examples

• 
  City Gate, Valletta
• 
  Facade of hotel Fouquet
• 
  Seaside Chaple
• 
  Basshall
• 
• 
  Moscow
• 
  Nice horses
• 
• 
  Hus kring Grubbensparken
• 
• 
  Saifivillage
• 
  Sagrada Familia
• 
  Selwyn
• 
  Tegelpråmen

See also

• Sustainable architecture
• Contemporarry architecture

This article "Complementary architecture" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Complementary architecture. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• New Contextualism
• Maharishi Vastu Architecture
• Garret Cord Werner

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