Uncharted architectural theory of critical regionalism in the work of Aleksandar Deroko between the world wars

Abstract

This paper explores critical regionalism in the work of the Yugoslav architect Aleksandar Deroko, examining an interwar alternative to the Modern Movement. It shows that a specific borderline cultural position of Yugoslavia, caught between the West and the East, influenced the shaping of Deroko's unique architectural theory. Similarly to Lewis Mumford, whose architectural ideas gained international recognition, Deroko reacted to the stifling uniformity of Modernism. Deroko developed his regionalist design theory learning from the vernacular. According to him, vernacular architecture was a response to region-specific functional imperatives, shaped by distinct geographical features. Deroko maintained that these highly functional structures, devoid of excess architectural ornament, should serve as architectural textbooks, firmly objecting to the Modernist insensitivity to the local conditions. The paper argues that Deroko's work can be considered as a part of a wider international network of critical approaches to Modernism.

Keywords

• critical regionalism
• the balkans (between the east and the west)
• interwar period
• aleksandar deroko (1894-1988)
• lewis mumford (1895-1990)