Materialisation To appropriate physical gestures with respect to the existing fabric and the environmental impact whilst evolving the material palette of a place.
The effective use of materials within both the exterior and interior environments can start to illustrate a recognition of place identity. It is the physicalisation of individuality that are the “key elements of the transmission of cultural identities from one generation to the next” (Akşehir, 2003, p.13).
argued that it, “can never start from scratch; it always builds upon a pre-existing set of symbolic materials which form the bedrock of identity” (Thompson, 1996). This form of symbolism within materials can portray a respect for not only the environment, but the people who inhabit it.
In reference to the ‘identification triad theory’, this principle examines the attitudes of ‘Visual Identity’ and ‘Physical structure/spatial layout’. These instigators can be closely considered within the design process (Fig.12).
It is the architect’s obligation to appraise the significance of materials and their application, ultimately affecting their sensitivity to place as “architectural artefacts are not exterior to society or to human social interaction” (Delitz, 2017, p.38).
It was British sociologist John Thompson who commented on the importance of materials in identity formation when he
The main characteristics of identity in architecture
Shape & form of building
General design principles
Materials
Relationship with context
Fig.12 Main characteristics of identity in architecture (Authors own image) (Based on Torabi’s diagram, (Torabi and Brahman, 2013)
12
Temporal organisation
Semantic organisation
Spatial organisation
