What is Contextualism?

Recently, I was asked by a field editor to comment on the style of one of my commercial designs. This is an area I always have difficulty articulating.

"Style" is a word I associate with the ever-changing trends of fashion. Good design transcends style. As with people, I am more interested in the character of a building than what clothes it is wearing. However, no matter what we design, it will ultimately emit an outward style. So rather than having a style of my own, I look to the context of my work to inform its form and detailing.

In response to the editor, I described the new building as "contextually pertinent, taking massing and scale cues from its neighbors while articulated in a vocabulary that is inspired by the 21st century."

What does that mean? Sounds like more archi-speak mumbo-jumbo to me! Essentially it means this: There is a rich history in this New England town of wood framed structures of a certain size, with gabled roofs and eave overhangs. These shapes have evolved and survived over the past two hundred years for a reason. They work! Sloped roofs of a certain pitch are effective at shedding snow and ice. Extending the roof beyond the face of the building helps to protect the building's walls and windows from the destructive elements that Mother Nature hurls at it every year. (That's the historic part. Now let's look at building in the 21st century.)

The building in question has a retail function programmed for the ground floor. Contemporary retailers require display windows to act as palpable advertisements for their products. While a hundred years ago, large plains of glass were not practical, modern float-glass has replaced the need for tiny pains connected by a network grid of muntins that obscure the view.

Victorians often expressed a building's structure on its exterior by articulating the facade with a rhythm of pilasters of columns. Today these same elements takes on a form expressive of the technology used in modern construction practices.

When talking about contextual design, it is important not to reflect only the historic fabric around you. That reflection must be tempered and informed by the influences of history, technology, and culture in which it is being built if it is to have any true relevance.

To see more of my work, check out our web site at RamsayGourdArchitects.com or RGAvt.com.