“Tradition”, as most words nowadays, is changing its meaning. In the world where new technologies and media have impact on our lives, something that is described as traditional may seem suspicious. Basically, this term means something anchored in the past, and that’s why contemporary people treat it with mistrust. There is, however, a positive meaning of the word ‘tradition’.

It is the heritage, particularly cultural, which shapes our identity as a local community, a nation, a continent. In this sense the word ‘traditional’ is a kind of brand which is already used in advertising where we can find references to ‘traditional’ products, especially in the food sector. Granny’s ham, gentry bacon, traditional recipes without preservatives are to get customers to buy the product. We can see then that - depending on the concept and context - the word ‘tradition’ may have both positive and negative connotations.

 For the young generation tradition is particularly challenging as it calls for hard work on oneself, demands that one know the past and respect it. Whereas people want to live fast, easily and pleasantly. Anything difficult seems suspicious, and anything that lasts long is impatiently rejected. This is quite understandable – people always crave for easy life. It turns out, however, that life good in quality, like a good quality product, has to cost much and requires hard work. That’s why in this issue, devoted to tradition, we speak about trades and professions that are slowly disappearing because they require effort and do not give immediate satisfaction. I would like to write about a profession which had admittedly died in Poland, but which had a revival and is thriving in English-speaking countries. What I mean here are ‘traditional architects’, i.e. those who use the old language of architecture. They are usually called New Classicists, and in the United States and Great Britain their successes are something obvious today. They build quite a lot, especially for rich private clients, and their opinions about urban planning are more and more appreciated.  

The works of such architects as Quinlan Terry, Julian Bicknell, Demetri Porphyrios and Robert Adam in Great Britain, as well as Leon Krier, Allan Greenberg, John Blatteau or Dunny&Plater Zyberk and Fairfax & Summons companies in the United States are based on  tradition and respect for it. The architects put much stress on the importance of traditional architectural orders and on the timelessness of the canons created in antiquity and followed for over two thousand years. They accept the Vitruvian Triad (utilitas, firmitas, venustas) as still valid, and regard the beauty whose aesthetic sense is close to ancient categories as one of the basic qualities of good architecture. That’s why they attend so much to detail, which attitude can be seen not only in their buildings, but also in the books they write. 

They consider traditional architecture a significant element of education of an architect, which does not mean that they do not apply new technologies. As all contemporary architects they use computer software although they prefer to present their concepts in the form of drawings, mostly in refined watercolours. And this is what they want to teach young students of New Classicism. They value manual skills, including such trades as carpentry or masonry since they believe that a good project should be based on the artist’s practical knowledge of the material he uses. This traditional attitude makes them very different from young graduates of most schools of architecture who make all their projects in computers, and most often learn about materials and construction second-hand. They are strongly confident that one’s own experience is essential in the education process.

This conviction comes from the belief that the beauty of historic buildings is not accidental, but is the result of centuries of experience. Respect and admiration for old architects, especially Palladia, makes them believe that even in the world where computer is the basic tool and SMS or the internet communicator are the basic ways of communication, there are still people sensitive to ‘traditional’ beauty. And they fight to offer them such chance. Their activity seems to be based on their belief that architectural heritage is well worth protecting because it is – whether we want it or not – a part of our cultural heritage.

Naturally, this does not mean that all architects suddenly started to create buildings classical in form. It’s nice, however, to look from time to time at some well made piece of architecture. Although it sometimes may seem nostalgic and imitative, it satisfies the need of a ‘good job’ that is still within us. In Poland, when the demand for cold meats had been fully satisfied, butchers started using more expensive but better, traditional methods to produce ham and sausages. Maybe time will come for expensive, but qualitatively good portion of architecture? Let’s hope it won’t be as in the case of some cooked meats and sausages which are traditional only by name.