Yesterday’s class brought to light an issue we had discussed prior to the lecture, that being around the quote "Architecture should be firmly based on specific regional practices based on climate, geography, local materials, and local cultural traditions." (Alan Colquhoun) We had, for the most part disagreed with this as we saw it was not always possible in every context. However the class lecture on the issue of regionalism brought to light an idea we had not thought of, or questioned. That being the idea of labour transfer that Patkau Architects used for their project Seabird Island School. They had trained the locals in the area the proper techniques to construct such a beautiful building. This issue of labour transfer is so important in today’s world, as fine carpentry is becoming overtaken my mass production, removing the spirit of the building, in exchange for soulless, lifeless concrete, metal, glass and plastic. If we train the locals, and actually use them in the construction process, it would not only produce jobs in the region, it would stimulate the economy, save money that would have been used to bring in the skilled professionals that would normally be needed, as well as make sure that fine carpentry lives on.
We had previously believed that regionalism was not always applicable to all situations, but with this new idea of regionalism, of a labour transfer, we began to understand more clearly that this idea is more applicable.
Image source: Architecture Lab. "Architecture Lab Online Magazine." Seabird Island School by Patkau Architects. architecturelab.net/2011/01/seabird-island-school-by-patkau-architects/ (accessed October 19, 2011).
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