Kenneth Frampton is an English architect, historian, and critic known for his theory of Critical Regionalism. He explores how globalization has led to the loss of regional culture and identity. In his essay "Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance," Frampton proposes a new type of architecture that synthesizes a region's identity, history, culture, and values to strengthen regional prosperity. He advocates integrating old traditions with modernism to achieve a process that defines Critical Regionalism through consideration of culture, civilization, the rise and fall of avant-garde movements, world culture, place forms, topography, climate, light, tectonics, and the visual versus the tactile. Frampton's concept focuses on

1. Rida Ilyas 1
Rida Ilyas
Architecture Design
October 7, 2013
Frampton’s Critical Regionalism
Kenneth Frampton was born in Woking, England in the year 1930. He took his training as an
architect at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. At present, he
a professor at Columbia University, New York City. He has previously worked as an architect,
architectural historian and critic. Frampton has written books and essays on modern and
contemporary architecture. He tried to acquire a better understanding of architectural identity,
making places and contemporary architectural demands.
Frampton’s Critical Regionalism explores the loss of regional culture overpowered by global
development. In his essay, he gives “Six points for an Architecture of Resistance” in which he
has addressed the condition of traditional culture and how our technocratic world has moved the
society to universalization of the civilization. Now, Frampton has devised a new system for a
new type of architecture that synthesizes identity, past, history, culture and values of a region
which he calls architecture of resistance because it serves as an element of prosperity for the
region itself. He has tried to achieve a process of integration between old traditions and changing
modernism. He, thereby has devised a framework of some specific features that for him, define
the critical regionalism. In the following six points:
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Culture and Civilization
The rise and fall of the Avant-Garde
Critical Regionalism and World culture
The resistance of the Place Form
Culture Versus nature: Topography, Context, climate, light and Tectonic Form.

2. Rida Ilyas 2
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The Visual Versus the Tactile
Frampton’s concept of regionalism mainly focuses on the relationship of a building to its site and
location in a sociological context. I perceive the essay as a process of consuming. He uses the
features of site, he has embraced and emphasized on the specific characteristics of site.
Geography, climate, environment, cultural background should all be brought into consideration
to utilize with the contemporary architecture inorder to strengthen the regional identity and
contribute towards recreating the place. He wanted the countries of South to re-examine their
traditions and go back to learn their own traditional values, principles, identity and bring out the
sense of ownness in architecture.
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