Architects often design buildings to have universal appeal by making them look modern and similar to Western buildings, resulting in architectural homogenization. This can be seen in Gurgaon, India, where tall glass and steel buildings line the highway and make the city resemble America. Architectural homogenization occurs when different cultures interact and blend their styles, losing individual identities and merging into a uniform culture without diversity. While some elements can reflect local culture, they are often abstract and not easily recognizable to lay people. Architects tend to follow current trends and techniques rather than experiment due to courage, but the problem may be solved when people take pride in their own culture and are willing to try new approaches.

1. dhruvbansal14sep
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Architectural Homogenization
May 5, 2013 Uncategorized Gurgaon Night time
Every architect wants that his building should have universal appeal and thus he makes his building look
modern and similar to the building in other parts of the world. Just like in India the architects would
make their building in glass and steel similar to buildings in west and boast about it. A perfect example of
this would be Gurgaon an NCR city .When a person on a highway enters Gurgaon he would find himself
in a totally new world with tall buildings lined up along the highway. He would feel as if he is there in
America. Some people may call it Globalisation but I would call it as architectural homogenisation that is
homogenization of different architectural practices of different culture into one blended, uniform
practices that do not allow easy identification of the characteristics of many cultures. It means that over
the years, Architects of two or more cultures have interacted and intermingles in such a manner as to
lose their individual cultural identities and merged into a one uniform culture than does not show any
trace of diversity of different traditional styles among buildings. A cultural identity does not necessarily
means that Chinese and Japanese buildings should have pagoda and Persian buildings should have
dome. But the building can reflect culture of the place in some form or the other. Many of the great
architects have been trying to add cultural elements to their building but these are very abstract and
subjective which a lay man can make out only after reading about its concept. For example Petronas
tower in Malaysia has its plan evolved from Rub el Hizb a Muslim symbol but the form of the building
does not convey this concept.
In every field with architecture being no exception trends are followed because they are concluded to be
workable through experience and it takes courage to experiment and build something new. Thus
architects employ materials and techniques which are currently in practice The problem can be solved
only when people will start being proud of their culture and will be ready to try something new.
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May 5, 2013 at 12:51 pm

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