But recently, a generation of homeowners and architects...have started not just ignoring, but defying the Law of Jante....From cast-concrete bunkers to glass-framed aeries, the new houses shock, subverting long-established order with a cool blast of modernity, while also paying homage to the island’s chilly dignity. — T Magazine
Nancy Hass travels to Gotland, a low-key, summer retreat for Swedes. Traditionally, simple farmhouse vernacular reigned. Yet, now firms such as Skalso, Murman Arkitekter, Deve Architects and Tham & Videgård are exploring a more contemporary idiom.
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This is irritating to me: A key point of the article is that there is a trend of modern architecture bucking the local vernacular tradition. Yet there is not a single photograph shown of what the local vernacular looks like. As if it was of no importance.
It's not important. In fact, modernism was based on eliminating all traditions, vernacular, local, or any other. The typical education teaches this essentially rude behavior and then the young architect (if they're lucky) gets a job where, Surprise! the client want's something that blends in. What do you do now? Are you a chump who was sold a bill of goods or is the client the chump for not caring about your intellectual ambitions? So many questions.
To Erik's point, it wasn't particularly easy to locate many photos of traditional farmhouse architecture in Gotland. The most readily available appears to be, photos of medieval Visby.
Or churches;
The church in the last photo is pretty great.
Agreed!
Every since Frank Gehry destroyed the fabric of his own neighborhood with plywood and chain link fences it has been the thing to do. If you are not on board you are hopelessly bourgeoisie and Frank and his acolytes will flip you the bird.
It's certainly possible that is the way the architects think. But what happened to architectural journalism? I would think that journalists would be interested in showing us the local context, and then telling us a story about why the modern architects are turning against the tradition, and how things are better (or worse) for it.
Instead, the article presumes the inevitable conclusion that modern architecture = good, and that it's a noble thing to reject and resist the local vernacular traditions. They are so convinced of this that they don't think it's necessary to make a case and convince us.
Real journalists are an endangered species. Most are just advertisers. New is always better and tech will always magically solve problems. More proof that economics values all the wrong things.
Swedish vernacular architecture is log houses and red barns.
Exactly.
Regarding the local traditions... I gather that Gotland is a semi-secluded island, perhaps with a unique local architecture.
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