What happens when rational, Modernist architecture puts down roots in a lush, tropical setting? Concrete Jungle, a new book by gestalten, explores locations across Asia and the world to find some of the most visionary residential adaptations of an international style to distinct local settings.
July 6th, 2023
The 20th century was in many ways defined architecturally by the long emergence, struggle for (or against) and broad victory of Modernism. With an emphasis on rationalism, applied using modern construction techniques and materials, it was a movement that claimed universal validity. Whether the requirements were a house on the outskirts of Paris or a whole government-administrative precinct in an Indian or Brazilian city, the same principles supposedly applied.
Concrete Jungle: Tropical Architecture and its Surprising Origins, recently published by gestalten, keys in to an important counter-current that has always accompanied debates around Modernism. With an emphasis on residential architecture across countries such as India, Vietnam, Brazil and Mexico, the book asks how the universal ideals of Modernism actually came to exist in the reality of tropical settings in these countries. How did the timelessness and even placelessness of those rational principles play out in reality?
One immediate answer is offered directly through the beautiful photography on show in the book – tropical greenery. The concrete that defines many of the houses is set apart in the way that so many of these buildings are integrated with the flora of their surroundings. At Padang Linjong Residence by Daniel Mitchell and Patisandhika Sidarta, located in Bali, for example, a large selection of plants softens the exposed concrete while a tree quite literally grows out of the living room floor.
The topic brings to mind wider debates in architectural theory concerning the tension between universalism and local context, most famously in Kenneth Frampton’s notion of Critical Regionalism. One of the subtexts of reading Modernism in tropical settings is a reclamation of unique local identities that often experienced Western claims to universalism as, in reality, more like an erasure of cultural specificities.
Related: Reviewing Richard Francis-Jones’ ‘Truth and Lies in Architecture’
The book engages with this level of thinking by including essays on Modernism as a nation-building exercise and its more contemporary manifestations. It includes examples from the work of globally significant architects such as Oscar Niemeyer, Luis Barragán, Lina Bo Bardi and Paulo Mendes de Rocha.
The topics and case studies are also highly relevant to Australia, with its far north tropical regions and distinct indigenous flora. Fortunata House by Luciano Lerner Basso, located in Brazil, for example, could act as a direct inspiration for house design in the tropical Australian Bush with its elevation off the ground and emphasis on preserving native vegetation.
Concrete Jungle: Tropical Architecture and its Surprising Origins is a journey across many more examples like this. Published in 2023, it is available through gestalten.
gestalten
gestalten.com
Photography
Various
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Gray Puksand’s construction-focused facility at TAFE NSW responds to the critical need for a resilient Australian construction industry.
In our series spotlighting aficionados across the design industry, we spoke with Alexandra Guglielmino, who leads the Art Advisory team at Bluethumb Art Gallery.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Available now across Australia, Eden TPO is setting new standards in terms of not just sustainability, but also style.
Welcome to the year of the Design Effect. This year’s theme aims to showcase the profound ripple effects that exceptional design can have on people, place and planet. Join in shaping this narrative by contributing your perspective before May 3, 2024, and become a part of the Design Effect movement.