ROLE OF ARCHITECTS AND LOCALNESS OF THE GLOBAL CITY: DISCUSSION OF OPERATIONALIZATION OF KEY THEORIES FOR UNDERSTANDING THE NOTIONS OF LOCALNESS IN BUILT FORM

Abstract

This paper looks at the urban and architectural case studies from India and Malaysia where built form elements that highlight local advantage have been identified and articulated and have helped in cities to compete in the global paradigm. This paper analysis works of architects who have been labelled as Critical Regionalist architects from India and Malaysia. The objective is to tease out the design components addressed by these architects in their projects which connect to the local. The architects whose work has been addressed are Charles Correa and Balkrishna Doshi from India and Ken Yeang and Jimmy Lim from Malaysia. The analysis covers the following objectives: a) To understand the design methodology and values of these designers and their contribution, if any, towards the development of localness in built form within their contexts. b) To understand the scale at which each of the projects falls within different theoretical realms. c) To analyse works of these designers with respect to the components that contribute to localness in built form and assess priority given to each of these components by the designers in their work. This paper is part of an ongoing PhD research entitled ‘A conceptual framework for evaluating localness through the design of built form: case of Karachi, Pakistan’ being undertaken at Oxford Brookes University, UK. The research methodology for this paper is largely based on literature review and personal visits to the buildings in India.