“We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us“ said Winston Churchill in 1945, after the bombings of the House of Commons. We carry our heritage and culture as we grow up with it. It shapes us into becoming the people we are, similarly at an urban scale what shapes our communities. It is but an amalgamation of the local history, the social constructs, the culture which includes both physical and behavioural ways of being, and the buildings which define the space for all these to exist.
Evolution of Architecture over time
Architecture developed in 10,000 B.C. The Neolithic Age when man stopped living in caves, and has evolved over the years from the need-based and simple Prehistoric, to the Monumental and Religion-based Egyptian, Classical styles to the much more Intricate and Opulent Gothic and Baroque styles. As society has evolved architecture has also changed and has showcased the spirit of the times through the prism of buildings. After World War I in the 1930’s to 1960’s, Modernism developed as avante garde new style of architecture. It was started by a few European architects namely Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius (who formed the Bauhaus School), and Mies Van Der Rohe who pioneered The Modernism Movement. ‘Less is More’ and ‘Form follows Function’ were the idioms on which this new style of Architecture was based, which had open floor plans, no ornamentation, and flat roofs.
Modernism was followed by Post Modernism which was a reaction to its blandness, so it was eclectic, colourful and borrowed from various historical styles of architecture. This allowed for greater freedom and a way to emulate and carry forward the old cultural heritage. Since the 2000’s Meta Modernism has been the new style for the architecture being practiced now, it swings between modernism and postmodernism and is a response to the uncertain times where our priorities have shifted from opulence to concerns about sustainability, climate change and other human tragedies.
Culture and its Role
History and Culture have always walked together, as both borrow and lend from each other. Culture is the shared practices, beliefs, and traditions of a particular group of people or a region shaped over time as per historical events. The study of this culture over a period becomes a part of History, as do the buildings created over time. We can study the history of a place by looking at the architecture around us. We can see the impact of religion in Classical architecture and the Monumental Cathedrals that were built.
The St Paul’s Cathedral is a great example of A Building with three different styles of Architecture as it has Neoclassical, Gothic and Baroque elements.
The Culture of a place also means the buildings and architecture driven by values of a particular group of people influenced by the terrain or climate of their city, making it very local. Architecture cannot function by ignoring societal and human needs unless it is solely driven just by profit margins as is often seen in real estate projects. That too is a reflection of the impact of Capitalism on our society today and our values being overshadowed by the growing human population.
Impact of Architecture on Society
Architecture, Planning and Urban Design can have a huge impact on the well being of a society and vice versa. There are various studies that have been done on High Rise buildings and in case they are not planned correctly they can be extremely depressing for the inhabitants. The lack of open spaces and even lesser human interaction impacts the well-being of humans negatively. Similarly, if this is compared to suburban areas or smaller towns with maybe fewer opportunities in white-collar jobs, but bigger houses with backyards and large living spaces indoors and outdoors and the community places like Neighbourhood Parks are better for the well-being of humans.
The other study that has now come up is the difference between letting buildings control us over humans controlling their own built environment. The cities of today have well-delineated pathways for people to walk on and then there are the shortcuts people preferably take cutting through parks and parking lots going against the prescribed routes of architects and planners. This is not a failure of planners but a human tendency to have the freedom to make our way.
Alejandro Aravena’s concept of Half Houses in Chile as an effort to rehabilitate and provide social housing allows the inhabitants to develop their houses at their own pace and as per their needs is another example of the same. This concept of Social Housing is totally opposite to the generic housing models being developed with the age old definition of Family being its standard for design and Profit the motive. The concept of Family is also changing the world over, it is no longer a traditional family of two with their two children, nowadays we have people who are not having children, then families of three and even same-sex couples living together. So as these changes occur in society, they will after gaining a sense of societal permanence and permeability, become a part of the byelaws and norms.
The concept of Liquid Modernity is also emerging. It is a fluid way of Modern life which means that people are living socially fluid lives. They have more ways of staying socially connected and the Online Life now is as important as the life offline. In previous years a Cultural centre by definition would be an exhibition area, an opera etc and people would go and attend. Now culture is much more dynamic and not rigid, it is digital, it is in the phones and in our hands. So it has become tough to make places that will help engage people socially in today’s time to interact with each other. Architecture is also changing and designing spaces which have several complimentary activities existing together in one building with more use of technology.
Losing Cultural Identity to stay relevant
Architecture after Modernism stayed adamantly strong on becoming Universal. The result is that dilemmas emerged which put Regionalism in conflict with Globalisation and Consumption or Capitalism with Sustainability. The result is that cities are losing their identity and therefore it is important for architecture to retain the context while building. The history and culture of a place are as important to context as the climatology study of a place. The impact has to be a two-way street and a conversation that occurs between various components that make the brief of a design, never losing sight of the future but respecting the History and Negotiating with the culture.
References:
How architecture shapes our cities – and our lives, AuthorL Lily Bernheimer, November 26,2017, Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/nov/26/how-architecture-shapes-our-cities-and-our-lives
The role of architecture in shaping society, Author: Lisa Writer, June 15, 2024, Available at:
https://www.storyofsouls.com/the-role-of-architecture-in-shaping-society/#:~:text=Well%2Ddesigned%20public%20spaces%20are,experiences%2C%20and%20support%20one%20another.
Dostoglu, Neslihan. (2021). Re-viewing the role of culture in architecture for sustainable development. Journal of Design for Resilience in Architecture and Planning. 2. 157-169. 10.47818/DRArch.2021.v2i2017.
The hidden ways that architecture affects how you feel, Author: Michael Bond, June 6,2017, Available at:https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170605-the-psychology-behind-your-citys-design
