THEORY: PLACE READINGS

Theory: Place Readings

A. Understanding a Place
What is the Value of Lewiss Article for Designers Now?
According to Motloch (2001), Lewiss article, Axioms for Reading the Landscape can
help designers to design more responsively in any culture by reading that cultures
autobiography, its landscape (P.3). In the article, Lewis offers seven axioms to guide designers
through reading the landscape and studying places.
Designers analyze and understand the context of the study places through cultural
landscape, which can record the change of the history in the study places. Reading cultural
landscape can help designers to think about how to respect humans and how to represent and
meet the needs of peoples lives and behaviors. Designers often treat creating a unique landscape
as the pursuit of design. They think a unique landscape is impressive. However, cultural
landscape, which is less self-conscious and more truthful, reflects more accurately the
experiences, attitudes and needs of the modern and ordinary people. It also tells designers the
spatial patterns suitable for local conditions. Designers can get new inspiration from reading
cultural landscape.
All in all, Lewis provides a starting point for cultural landscapes analysis. Based on
Lewiss axioms, designers broaden their view of places in the USA to start to re-orient cultural
landscape through material culture when they design (Corbin, 2014). Therefore, designers
designs can be closer to their ideal goals.
How Can You Use It and When in the Design Process?
The axioms in the Lewiss article can be used in the early period of planning and landscape
design process, such as site analysis. We can find and understand our reference system of design
by reading cultural landscape. Therefore, we can avoid ignoring the natives lives and behaviors.
In China, we can use his axioms in the preservation and tourism development of old city
and traditional villages. Most of the traditional villages reveal their features like developing,
metabolism and self-regulation in the long-term evolution. These features are made by human
behaviors. And cultural landscape, as expressions of conditions and influences, records human
behaviors. We use Lewis axioms as clue to culture for creating landscape with more prosperous
vitality.
B. Design for Now: Vernacular Traditions + Current Conditions
What is Framptons Main Overarching Idea (s)?
In the article, Frampton states that critical regionalism reconciles the impact from two
increasingly polarized problems - uniform universal civilization and post-modernism feeding the
media-society with gratuitous, quietistic images. Critical regionalism uses traditional forms and
styles [to] consistently interpret with contemporary building techniques and technologies
(ARCH 100 INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURE, 2014). Frampton opposes hegemonic
culture phenomenon of monopoly, but does not repel the contribution of modernism. From the
article, Frampton shows a pragmatic attitude concerning about the environment, and seeks a new
way to balance the two polarized theory.
References
ARCH 100 INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURE. 2014. Contemporary Pluralism - Critical
Regionalism and Architecture. [online] Available at:
http://www.pdx.edu/sites/www.pdx.edu.architecture/files/Arch100_criticalregionalism.pdf
[Accessed: 28 Feb 2014].

THEORY: PLACE READINGS

Corbin, M. 2014. Lewis: "Axioms for Reading the Landscape". [online] Available at:
http://amst.umd.edu/About%20Us/Research/cultland/annotations/Lewis2.html [Accessed:
28 Feb 2014].
Frampton, K. 1983. Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of
Resistance. In: Foster, H. eds. 1983. The Anti-Aesthetic. Essays on Postmodern Culture.
Seattle: Bay Press, pp. 16-30.
Lewis, P. F. 1979. Axioms for reading the landscape: some guides to the American scene. The
interpretation of ordinary landscapes: Geographical essays, pp. 11--32.
Matter, F. 2014. ALN No. 28: Critical Regionalism from a Desert Dweller's Perspective. [online]
Available at: http://ag.arizona.edu/oals/ALN/aln28/matter.html [Accessed: 28 Feb 2014].
Motloch, J. L. 2001. Introduction to landscape design. New York: Wiley.