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Critical Regionalism in Landscape Architecture:
Re-Design of Papiamento Restaurant (Aruba)
About the Project
This project was born out of the search for a means of developing an authentic design for region that I am not familiar with. The author’s goal is to ultimately work in the design field in the Caribbean, particularly Aruba, but he recognizes that there is a significant American bias in his view of design. In his study of design history, he became aware of the theory of Critical Regionalism. The more he learned about it, the more it became evident that it might be a good way into design in a foreign culture.
Critical Regionalism is an architectural theory that emerged in the 1980s as a reaction to the universalization and globalization of architectural styles and the homogenization of building appearances. It is also a response to the ‘kitschiness’ of many Regionalism designs, which tend to evoke cliché images of times gone by, without any consideration of the meaning or tectonics behind the architectural features.
The study site, Papiamento Restaurant, is a well known restaurant on the island of Aruba. The original house was built on the site in 1866 by a Venezualan man and a Dutch woman for use as an agricultural property. Over the past 160 years, the site has seen several uses and many incremental changes and improvements. It is through this study of the impact of culture and climate on design, that the author has produced a plan for what the next rendition of the site might be.
About the Author
Sean is completing his masters in Landscape Architecture. Prior to returning to school, he founded and operated a landscape design/build firm, Nature’s Apprentice LLC. The firm specializes in high-end residential projects, particularly those involving swimming pools. At the time of the sale of the company at the end of 2021, the company had grown to over 25 employees working all over New Jersey. With close to 30 years of design/build experience, Sean brought a significant amount of construction knowledge to his studies. He has an BA in Economics from Rutgers, as well as an AAS in English Composition and an Undergraduate Certificate in Ornamental Horticulture from Brookdale CC.
Sean’s goal upon graduating is to become licensed in the field and work for a large international design firm, where he can continue to gain experience developing designs in foreign cultures and climates. He is currently working as a freelance design and construction management consultant.