«Contemporary traditionalism» in the Works of the Architect Robert Stern

This article is an overview-analytical. It examines the work of one of the leaders of American architecture – Robert Stern. He is both a theorist and a practitioner, which makes it possible to understand the concept of his work on the basis of his theoretical work and architecture ( on the example of country villas and multi-apartment urban dwellings) in the USA and Europe. R.Stern’s books and articles about him are practically unknown in Russia, therefore his statements are of interest. R. Stern reveals his understanding of architecture, which opposes the abstract geometry of modernism, and addresses the accounting of the tastes and opinions of the customer, as well as to the peculiarities of the particular design site with due regard for the historical context. Thus, ideas such as contextualism, «contemporary traditionalism» and partial historicism, which interacting with each other, create an individual architecture, become decisive for him. Remaining modern, it evokes associations with traditional forms.

A.A. HOODIN, Candidate of Architecture (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (65, Ilyinskaya St., Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, Russian Federation)

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