The Colonial Langauge of Architecture

 

Critical article on John Summerson’s book The Classical Language of Architecture, for Theory of Architecture II Course by Joude Elsayed-Ali.

John Summerson’s the Classical Language of Architecture aims to explore the adoption and development of fundamental Classic Architecture from the ancient Greco-Roman times throughout different epochs up until the late 20th century. He does so by clarifying that Architecture can be read as a language; and that Classic Architecture is its Latin origin so-to-say.

This paper discusses the validity of ancient Greco-Roman Architecture as the universally accepted and idolized “Classic Architecture”. Because considering that Greco-Roman Architecture is the origin of all architecture disregards civilizations of the greater world and heavily implies white supremacy. Such can be seen in other publications including the book Architecture without Architects by Bernard Rudofsky. He does not recognize architecture outside the western world as buildings by architects!

“[U]ntutored builders” who are “talented” happen to have addressed modern problems in building and utilized apparently new ways of constructing for a long time. An example mentioned by the author himself, is how the Japanese built modular buildings using skeleton structure, open plan and sliding walls in the 18^th century.

The fact that architecture has been simultaneously developing across the world since the beginning of time, challenges the portrayed “classic” notion of Greco-Roman architecture. In his book, Summerson refers to Abbé Laugier’s philosophy to explain that the origin of Greco-Roman classic architecture is derived from the timber hut constructed from columns and beams. However, this hut is not the universal original construction. In Egypt for example, a country rich in architectural history and home to one of the oldest civilizations of the world, the first man made construction was the mud hut. Contrary to the wood hut where walls had a secondary function, the mud hut relies on the walls as load-bearing structural elements.

Therefore, Greco-Roman architecture must not be the sole reference for Classic Architecture in the modern world. We must investigate our own Classic Architecture wherever it may be derived from and go on from there. Instead of falling subject to colonial mindsets and importing building and city-planning models to address grave local problems, people have gotten passionate about “vernacular, indigenous” architecture as Rudofsky calls it in Architecture Without Architects. This Architecture provides sustainable solutions that cater for the locality of the project. This architecture reintroduces ancient and local building methods as the true classic architecture of the place.

Architecture speaks many languages. There is no Classic Architecture. There is Greek Architecture and Roman Architecture and Ancient Egyptian Architecture. They are each classic, a prime example of human thought and labour in their respective places. To be able to speak the language of architecture, one must  free themselves from the English language, so to say.

 

References

Summerson, J (1964). The Classical Language of Architecture

Rudofsky, B (1964).  Architecture Without Architects