Editors: Ana Tostões, Zara Ferreira
Guest editors: Setiadi Sopandi, Yoshiyuki Yamana, Johannes Widodo, Shin Muramatsu
Keywords: Modern Movement, Modern architecture, Southeast Asian architecture, Modern urban planning, Tropical architecture.
Coming from a common goal of preserving and promoting a sustainable future, a platform has been created to discuss documentation, conservation and reuse of modern architecture based on three main concepts: regeneration, equality and openness. Regeneration by, through training and education, involving the younger generations in the process of recognition and conservation. Equality, based on the respect for difference with no imposition of ideas or methodologies. Openness by promoting exchange through thoughtful cooperation. Although ASEAN is coming to be united in terms of politics, economy and culture, the background of its member countries is varied, having experienced diverse European colonization. In an increasingly global world, these nations are facing changes in the significance of their colonial past in relation to the postcolonial present. Between identity and nationalist demand, local knowledge and universal education, modern materials and tropical climate, different architectural discourses have been produced showing that the most interesting way to approach the postcolonial issue is through the idea of exchange.
Published:
2017-11-01
Editorial
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Coming from a common goal of preserving and promoting a sustainable future, a platform has been created to discuss documentation, conservation and reuse of modern architecture based on three main concepts: regeneration, equality and openness. Regeneration by, through training and education, involving the younger generations in the process of recognition and conservation. Equality, based on the respect for difference with no imposition of ideas or methodologies. Openness by promoting exchange through thoughtful cooperation. Although ASEAN is coming to be united in terms of politics,...
Introduction
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The Asian economy began to rebound in the early 2000s. Cities were, once again, expanding along with the population and industrialization. Architectural projects, after having halted for a few years, were coming back providing new opportunities for Asian practices. Sharing optimism as well as anxieties, Asian architects and scholars were looking forward to the future as well as once again taking a glimpse back at their recent architectural past, roughly from the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century. With this opportunity, they decided to take a moment to reflect on how Asian...
Essays
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This essay will exam the Modern Movement in Cambodia through architecture, known as New Khmer Architecture, from 1953 to 1970, that has distinct continuum characteristics from vernacular architecture, like other Modern Movement architecture in Southeast Asia, because of socio-political movements and cultural engagement.
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The paper highlights the course of Indonesian architectural development through the narrative of national and cultural identity which prevailed almost consistently from the early years of the 20th century. Despite the various contexts and the involvement of participants from different eras, the question of identity recurs among architectural practitioners, political figures, as well as the general public in Indonesia. In this light, architects are perceived as active agents continually contributing models of national identity through architectural forms, expressions, materials, and...
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This paper explores the historical development of modern architecture in Malaysia, which is evident in the emerging architectural language; the efforts of the Federation of Malaya Society of Architects (later known as the Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia); as well as the direction taken by the architectural practice in the country; all of which were driven by the prevailing political, economic as well as the socio-cultural attributes of the new nation, and the vision on Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya. The outcome of all these is an architecture that...
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This paper highlights the course of the development of modern architecture in Myanmar, a country with an original and vital architectural tradition. There are case studies of well-known foreign and Myanmar architects who dealt with the relationship of spatial, cultural and environmental factors of modern architecture. Some architectural masterpieces created during the second half of the 20th century between 1950 and 1970 in Yangon are presented in this article in order to highlight the inspiration, imagination and limitation of these pioneer architects. The main reason for selecting...
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The 1945 battle for liberation witnessed the massive decimation of Manila’s urban built-heritage and the irreplaceable treasures of colonial architecture. Despite the seemingly impossible task to resuscitate war ravaged Manila, it rose again. Out of the ashes, modernism provided the opportunity to craft a new architecture for a newly independent nation. Modernism emerged as the period’s architectural symbol of survival and optimism. In a post-colonial cultural milieu, Filipino architects pursued the iconography of national mythology channeled through the pure surfaces and unadorned...
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This article situates the emergence of pioneer modern architects and architecture of Singapore in the longer history of colonial and post-colonial modernities and modernization, and in relation to socio-economic forces of capitalism and socio-political influences of the modern state in both the colonial and post-colonial eras. Rather than understand modern architecture in terms of style, this article goes behind style to explore the social, economic, technological and political conditions of producing modern architecture.
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The influence of modern architecture became more visible in Thailand after the country shifted from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy in 1932 and also as a result of economic circumstances and world trends. The first generation of Thai Modernist architects (or the pioneers of modern architecture in Thailand) had their education in Europe because of the necessity to modernize Thailand. The second generation were Thai architects who received their architectural education in Thailand as well as some continuing their studies in the USA. Their works reflect the International...
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Architecture is one of the keys to the values of a society, a reflection of a people’s aspiration, and a society’s ideas and technological experiments over periods in its history. This paper will address “modern architecture in Vietnam” focusing on the general course of its development: its practice, discourse and the built environment throughout history. The guiding questions for the main content of this paper are very fundamental: How can we define modern architecture in Vietnam? How was it formed and developed through the modern history of the country? Can we call modern architecture...
Interviews
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Contributing to the debate on the development of modern architecture in the Asian countries, in March 2017, Ana Tostões interviewed Fumihiko Maki, one of the greatest Asian architects engaged with the modern project, and member of the Metabolism group. Maki is currently developing a number of projects in Asia, including the Taipei Main Station Redevelopment in Taiwan, Shenzhen Sea World Culture and Arts Center in China, and the New City Hall of Yokohama, Japan.
Tributes
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To pay tribute to Ruy Jervis d’Athouguia, the modern innovative architect born in Macau 100 years ago, the researchers and professionals engaged with his work were called upon to write about the importance of his legacy on the contemporary theory and practice.
