Abstract
Robert Venturi's theories like 'Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture' and 'Symbolism of Architecture' had a major impact on architects in postmodern culture and we could have his contextual understandings in those theories. In his early books, "Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture" and "Learning from Las Vegas", Robert Venturi showed theories related to context several times. But with looking at existing books or papers, we could barely see well-organized studies about his contextual understandings. So this study shows contextual approaches and thoughts with those theories, 'Complex and contradictory architecture', 'Architectural order and conventional architecture', 'Discontinuity in internal and external architecture', and 'Symbolism of architecture' in his two books. In those four theories, Venturi's contextual understandings are as fellows. To begin with, he developed contextual theories in architecture, understanding a whole building embracing each architectural factor, with architectural thoughts of complexity and contradiction. Second, he stressed architectural order to link each contradictory factor and used conventional architecture, as for existing common and ordinary things, to make available communication. Conventional factors were applied to urban viewpoints. Given the fact that contemporaries shared those factors, we could see contextual understandings in his approach. On top of that, unlike modern architects, he understood that functions of the inside and the outside were two different things. Based on contextual thoughts, he tried applying 'facade' that is one side providing an interface between in and out of a building to surroundings. Last, he wanted to express any meaningful connection between present and past, using symbolism in architecture. Presented by symbolism of architecture, architectural functions, architectural uses, historical meaning, ordinary factors, or something were also based on sharing in contemporary people. As the methodology to show these contextual factors, Venturi used an approach of symbolism.