Nation building

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The meaning and value or identity, of nation is often conceptualised and portrayed as a historically timeless entity. Persisting within certain areas of building design, heritage preservation, architectural history and literature, such traditional notions of the built environment assume that architectural meaning is prescribed by built form; that nation identity is essentially defined by the intentions of the designer and that architecture possesses a definitive identity as it historically progresses toward a single, perfect state over time. However, the basis of existing conventional ideas which promote the permanence of nation identity become dislodged and questioned. Architecture and city planning is undoubtedly one of the most prominent symbols of the civilization of any nation, arrangement type of the buildings and their interior or exterior design has close relationship with the community's culture and economy. Over the past several years, because of social, political and economic changes, many transformations have occurred in the type and architecture issue formation. These changes can emerge in the form of development or decline and death of cities throughout architecture. The concerns of linking with past and fail in creation of a successful architecture process which could be accurately in direction and historical evolution of architecture value and have a share in contemporary world architecture and even be able to contribute to the advancement of today's architecture. The purpose of encourage a return to the old architecture, but the main goal is to recognize a nation of the traditional design and motivate for proper use of them in green and modernity design ideas. Therefore, the evaluating the traditional architecture with the modern architecture, to achieve a proper model for revival of concepts in contemporary design with using of traditional and green architectural art to create a nation.


The traditional designs elements have been known to be a reflection of the splendor and beauty of the aesthetical elements or ornamentations adorning them that carry deeper philosophical and sacred meanings. The traditional designs element are not merely objects of beauty but also serve as means of creating an environment of peace and tranquility. The elements found in the traditional design elements can be regarded as a factor of global players, which only have their own identity and cannot be found elsewhere. Thus, the elements of traditional design can play a significant role in establishing local identity for global positioning of the nation. Therefore, integrating these traditional design elements into contemporary green design is seen as an approach towards sustaining the nation’s heritage values as genius loci. Hence, this paper seeks to identify and illuminates on some of these traditional elements in a nation. By improving contemporary green design, a key step lies in understanding what actually worked and what did not from traditional design elements. The exploration of sustainability in traditional design elements are potential to assist in contemporary design. The essential to explore how traditional design elements in contemporary design mat be benefit a nation but not practically to return to the exact methods of architecture from the past. However, adoption of traditional design elements in contemporary design is not an easy task. One of the issue of adapting traditional design element is people opinion and perception of what suitable. There are emotional and physical aspects that adaption of these elements shares across it culture. Therefore, the importance aspect how traditional design elements successfully incorporated into contemporary architecture is to ensure the acceptance from people. Contemporary green design which adapted traditional elements as a fundamental place in human and family life have important roles, given the richness


of architecture in creating a nation, in the tasks was done still deficiency has seen in this field. The social, historical, artistic and cultural approach is to enhance the quality and quantity of life in the society and will have fundamental impact. Remembering the past of architectural elements and components in this country considered as the root of culture and values of each nation and emphasis on the promotion and identification of the public opinion is much effective. In contrast to nature, has the right to connect and separate been granted, and in the distinctive manner that one of these design adoption is always the presupposition of the other. And conversely, we can only sense those things to be related which we have previously somehow isolated from one another; things must first be separated from one another in order to be together. Practically as well as logically, it would be meaningless to connect that which was not separated, and indeed that which also remains separated in some sense. Traditional architecture elements has a long history experience and at the anytime capable hands, creative mind, the patrons of art stylish has brought dramatic phenomena, so that in many cases are the principles and as the basement of architectural art became identified in a nation. In the traditional architecture, the buildings have formed according to culture and personality and never composition and architecture of building have been contrast to cultural and religious beliefs of the people in that area. Even the decoration was used in subsidiary organs were not exception from this system. In this building, while maintaining cultural identity. In the traditional architecture economic and social concerns were noted and to provide of each needed adequate spaces with best shape were used. Another features of these traditional architecture are linked architecture with nature. Thus, the sympathy and respect to nature has deep in culture and peaceful coexistence humans and nature is obvious in the adoption of traditional elements in contemporary green design.


Direct integration is the process of introducing the aesthetic elements into contemporary design without modifying the shape and size. This approach is used in order to ensure the local identity is preserved. Adaptive integration involves modifying the original form and design by combining it with other design elements; however, the significant shapes are still maintained. The use of adaptive approach is not to eliminate the original concept but to enhance it. Therefore, this approach can be used to integrate traditional aesthetic elements into contemporary green design. By applying traditional and green design to the built environment, these ideas infer that architectural identity is stable over time, as it is shaped according to historically specific discursive and contextual conditions. This historical instability is exemplified by comparing the sociocultural, contextual conditions. These punitive and symbolically infused the rationalised and informed by a discursive web of socio-cultural ideas and political means of behavioral control prevailing at the time. Despite the fact that green design practice has been dominated by quantitative concerns for energy performance, that there is an important regional dimension to sustainable practice should appear self-evident. In the current society, the nation needs to provide an indicator and taking advantage in to inject in the architectural mind is tangible. After entrance into the modern world in creating a nation with architecture, far away from traditional life, in the independence path way from magnificent past of this land and free from constructive knowledge idea of architecture, has taken its steps toward the future with unknown target and therefore in majority cases without knowing the exact knowledge of the theoretical and ideological conceptual in global attitudes, architecture fall down in a blind imitation and superficiality.


Architecture is the style of human life, therefore it is a tool to be our identities and our differences, and framing our knowledge of the world. Architectural Identity is one of the phenomena of public identity of the communities. The privacy defined in architecture, as reality containing qualities core. Architecture is actually within the dimensions of time, space and the impact of humanitarian axis and clarified as a reflection of the life of society as evolved and reached a positive phase. The search for symbolism within the forms of traditional element is contemporary green design architecture is still in its inception and requires extensive elaboration. Several particular forms and signs cut across the divide in terms of; image, technology, materials, social factors, interior configurations, and planning. In developing the symbols in architecture to more contemporary periods, one needs to consider the following; The obligatory and desirable functional and formal elements in a building, the role of this type of building within the urban landscape and within the life of the city, and whether this role continues or has been usurped or taken over by other buildings, forms and functions. Through the discourse of the symbol, the architecture becomes an instrument to understand the identity of a culture. The use of traditional materials and processes asserts a regionalist identity, while imported green is taken to symbolize quest for seeking an international identity. However, this seems to be a rather simplistic link between the architectural symbol and the corresponding claim of a particular identity. The whole process of symbolism is deeper than this generalization and requires a thorough re-examining. It is concern that symbolism in relation to initiating an architectural style with its roots deeply engaged in our traditions but its trunk higher up in the air must be informed by extensive study in semantics in traditional architecture. Architecture must be taken like a language with emphasis not only on the words construction but


also the spiritual meaning decoded. As mention above, revolutions or changes in a nation’s political, economic and social construct are sealed through the act of building. Great works are designed and constructed as symbols of liberty and democracy, authority, commercial prosperity. In summary, the traditional design elements are reflections of the beauty of the soul and culture of the society which can be discerned from the arrangement and composition of natural forms, motifs and patterns. The intrinsic value and the measure of golden section rule in the design elements have proved the value of its timeless beauty across cultures and time. Hence, integrating these elements into contemporary green designs is an approach towards sustaining the nation’s heritage values. Sustainability despite what many may believe, is in fact not a new concept but a tool to promote green movement in a nation. However, the needs to put in mind the proportionality when integrating these elements in order to ensure that the local identity is preserved and conserved.


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SHARMA, S. (2014, August 2). Architectschoice. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://www.slideshare.net/shubhamarch/use-of-architectural-elements-in-evolution-oftraditional-style

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Taylor’s integrated Moodle e-learning system: Log in to the site. Retrieved November 20 2016, from https://times.taylors.edu.my/pluginfile.php/2416573/mod_resource/content/1/REFERENCE%20F OR%20IDENTITY%201.pdf


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