Doctoral Thesis
This research on Kenneth Frampton’s theoretical construction process led us to investigate the conceptual transition between two central themes of his work: "critical regionalism" and "tectonics." We begin with the analysis of two fundamental works — “Modern Architecture: A Critical History” (1985), where Frampton consolidates the concept of "critical regionalism," and “Studies in Tectonic Culture” (1995), dedicated to the study of tectonics. Based on these and other lesser-known publications, we developed a periodization of Frampton’s theoretical trajectory, organizing his production into three phases between 1983 and 2007. In this dissertation, we discuss how these two themes articulate and converge toward a single critical agenda formulated by the author. In the 1980s, Frampton proposed "critical regionalism" as a response to the homogenization of the built environment and to architecture conceived as mere scenography, incorporating the concept into the second edition of “Modern Architecture: A Critical History” (1985). In the following decades, he deepened his studies in tectonics, treating it as a development of the concerns previously raised through the idea of "critical regionalism." The analysis of the architectural examples selected by Frampton reveals a continuity between these approaches, while his revisitation of architects and works through the lens of “tectonics” expresses his effort to reinterpret the history of modern architecture, distancing it from Eurocentric readings and proposing “a marginal counter-history” (Frampton, 1990). In this sense, we raise the hypothesizes that the transition from "critical regionalism" to "tectonics" does not represent a rupture but rather the continuity of a single critical agenda. Through the analysis of selected texts, we aim to identify frictions in language, in the selection of examples, and in the theoretical foundations mobilized by Frampton, in order to verify the persistence of certain principles throughout this transition. We propose that Frampton repositioned his critical strategy without abandoning his vision of cultural resistance in architecture, demonstrating that his theoretical thought undergoes constant reformulations while preserving the coherence of his critical agenda.
THESIS LINK
Date: 05/06/2025
Course
- Doctor of Architecture PROARQ
Person
- Guilherme da Silva Bueno
- Mário Magalhães
- Niuxa Dias Drago
- Priscilla Alves Peixoto [contributor]
- Rute Figueiredo
- Thais Piffano Oliveira [author]
ResearchLine
- Theory and Teaching of Architecture