Finding the forgotten : a project that invigorates the cultural identity of Macedonia through architecture
Date
2017Citation:
Vaglenarova, I. (2017). Finding the forgotten: A project that invigorates the cultural identity of Macedonia through architecture. Explanatory document. A research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional), Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand.Permanent link to Research Bank record:
https://hdl.handle.net/10652/4352Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION:
How can an architectural intervention help the city of Skopje to re-establish its identity?
Cultural identity is an issue within architecture which has been discussed by architectural theorists for many decades. The identity of culture is what sets apart one country from another, and has always been an important value of which people relate to. An identity of a country consists of many factors; architecture, religion, art and craft, music, traditions, and so on. Once there is negligence in the cultural identity of a country through the design of architecture, confusion and misunderstanding between the people and the city they reside in ensues.
The issue of cultural identity is evident in the city of Skopje after the urban development project of Skopje 2014. Throughout the 21st century in Skopje, there have been various events that have led to the disoriented character of the people within the city; and Skopje 2014 was the instigator. Skopje 2014 introduced an architecture that is not associated with the authentic history of Macedonia and used it as an experiment to increase the tourism revenue into the city
The role of the architecture in this project will be focusing on addressing design objectives that have a direct link to solidifying the cultural identity of the country. These objectives; economic, aesthetic and cultural are explained throughout the literature that has been interpreted by national and international authors. Precedent studies of other successful projects that respond to similar issues of culture will also be considered.
The design solution for this project has resulted in the design of the Cultural Museum of Skopje. This project will work in three stages to re-establish the identity of Skopje; create a reinstated understanding and appreciation of the cultural heritage, communicate the true heritage of Skopje through the architecture and programme of the building, and to protect the authenticity of the site from any inaccurately represented future developments.