Revisiting Critical Regionalism

Abstract

For more than five decades, Anglo-American architecture critic and historian Kenneth Frampton has played a prominent role in architecture culture. During this entire period, he has taken a rather exceptional position, operating mainly in the registers of historiography while simultaneously maintaining an engaged relation with contemporary architectural practice. His award at the 2018 Venice Biennale as well as the recent acquisition of his archives by the Canadian Center for Architecture in Montreal and of his library by the University of Hong Kong illustrate the appreciation for Frampton’s contribution to various domains of architecture culture. As a theoretician, he developed perspectives that forge connections between the past and the present, positioning contemporary practice within cultural temporalities. His position between critique and history has had a strong influence on his theoretical thinking. Through theorems such as ‘tectonics’ and ‘material culture’, Frampton has furthermore constructed compelling bridges between historical and present-day design practice