All buildings have its own art and craft, whether it is modern or old, people that usually will define them. Modern and old architecture have distinctive change of materials used in construction due to advance technology that we have today. Until the last century that glass and steel became common. Modern architecture is usually made of simple and flat designs. Classical buildings usually have detail composition. Undeniably, we need to well-preserve historic architecture. Some older buildings may have features like window seats, art- glass windows or other architectural details. Some of the modern generations may like it, some may not.

 

In the past, we can see most of the pieces of architecture were built using earth, stone, brick, wood and bamboo. These materials allow moisture to be absorbed easily and then to evaporate away. We can say that those materials allow the building to ‘breathe’. Level of dampness in the building are controlled in this way. Of course when the evaporation of porous materials could be insufficient due to excessive dampness of building fabric. This is why traditional buildings were designed mostly relating to the local culture and climate in the past. Deep eaves, wide gutters and plinths at ground level are good details to sustain a building in its local climate. For example, Taliesin and Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright employed only local materials stone, brick and etc where his design always looked organic.

 

 

 

 

However, think of the materials now generally used, such as iron and concrete, used as they never were before. With all these materials chosen, modern buildings are built to be waterproof. After the Industrial Revolution takes place where increased movement of materials brought rapid changes in the methods of construction. In the late 19th century, switching from traditional materials and methods to those buildings at present with cavity walls and damp-proof courses built using cement mortars and renders. Focusing on modern building materials (hard dense bricks, cement based mortars and renders, modern masonry paints and external sealants) are generally impermeable and rely on impervious barriers, such as cavity walls and cement renders that keep out driving rain and act as damp-proof courses to prevent dampness. The modern materials and methods work well together in modern buildings design. The method and materials have been the most conventional way in building construction.

 

When comes to thinking of preserving historic architecture, mixing technologies issue may rise. If impervious modern materials are used on a traditional building there is a big risk that balance between water entering fabric and water evaporating from it will be disturbed. Consequently, traditional performance will be weaker - such as dampness and decay -- will occur. However, the issue of dampness will be the major consideration of modern people to just take the whole historic building off the ground and build new one instead. This is not a way to challenge architecture.

 

Generally speaking, even people who does not understand architecture well could tell the distinctive change of classical architecture to modern architecture. We will not usually see a glass and steel structure with Roman columns. Modern architecture was a celebration of technology - steel, glass and iron were not available back then. So the era of modernism came in when people discover new technology and materials. Whether the distinctive change between old and new architecture gives impact to the earth today, people are the one who could control the Old as the New Green.