Complementary architecture is a movement in
contemporary architecture promoting
architectural . Indispensable features of complementary architecture include
sustainability
Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...
,
altruism
Altruism is the concern for the well-being of others, independently of personal benefit or reciprocity.
The word ''altruism'' was popularised (and possibly coined) by the French philosopher Auguste Comte in French, as , for an antonym of egoi ...
,
contextualism,
endemism
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
and
continuity of specific regional design language.
Complementary architecture occurs at the intersection of local pattern and design languages. A
pattern language represents a set of more or less formalised rules of human interaction with built forms, resulting from practical solutions developed over time according to local culture and natural conditions. A
design language in architecture is a set of geometrical (formal) and material standards used in buildings and other man-made structures, traditionally arising from local materials and their physical properties.
Complementary architecture interprets the
Vitruvian triad for contemporary use, mapping durability (''firmitas'') against aspects of broader sustainability, utility (''utilitas'') against altruism and service to society, and individual beauty (''venustas'') against harmony with broader context, regional identity and spirit of place.
Continuity in architecture
Historically, building environments were produced in a continuous, evolutionary fashion rather than as singular revolutionary events. Complementary architecture involves systematic analysis of traditional techniques in the context of vibrant urban environments, aiming to rediscover sustainable, layered, nuanced, contextual and environmentally appropriate solutions for the present time.
Applications
Practically all traditional
vernacular
Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...
and formal architecture produced prior to the 20th century is complementary architecture due to inherent material and cultural constraints, as are many works inspired by some contemporary movements such as
contextual architecture,
indigenous architecture,
organic architecture or
new urbanism
New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating Walkability, walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has ...
.
Complementary architecture methodology is especially useful where contemporary development penetrates compact historical urban fabric. Complementary design pays respect to its architectural context while carefully introducing contemporary design elements.
Critical views
The movement specifically rejects the tendency of contemporary architects to construct buildings rather than cities, neglecting the fact that the value of a building stays in the architectural whole,
as well as
modernism's contrasting with nature or context for the sake of innovation as expedient and inevitably destructive. Adherents posit that in the 20th century the abdication of decorative elements and traditional forms was thought to be a sign of newly found simplicity, solidarity and sacrifice by the socialist and conveniently cost-efficient by the capitalist side of the political scene. By extension, that "nearly every building completed prior to the 20th century was beautiful" and that the matter of beauty in contemporary and future architecture as simply a matter of "recovering old habits".
Contemporary examples
File:Komplementäre Architektur Russia.png
File:City Gate, Valletta 002.jpg
File:Seaside Chaple BW.jpg
File:Basshall.JPG
File:Moscow (8351273413).jpg
File:Nice horses in front of a modern farmhouse, a typical Dutch scene - panoramio.jpg
File:Hus kring Grubbensparken 2014, 1.JPG
File:Saifivillage.JPG
File:Σαγράδα Φαμίλια 2941.jpg
File:Selwyn2.jpg
File:Tegelpråmen 1.JPG
See also
*
European Urban Renaissance
*
Architectural design values
*
Critical regionalism
*
Sustainable architecture
Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings through improved efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, development space and the ecosystem at large. Sometimes, su ...
References
{{reflist
Architectural theory
Sustainability
Sustainable architecture