Comment by jameshart

A lot of the sample images shown of ‘traditional’ architecture in this piece are not what you’re talking about - they aren’t ’traditional materials’ or ‘traditional techniques’, they just use choices of exterior cladding and window layouts that are evocative of traditional choices - but they are just as much a soulless product of low cost materials and construction efficiency.

Not the case for all of them (the brick-built viaduct proposal for example looks like it would be a nightmare to build and maintain), but most of the buildings shown, the ‘traditional’ variant just uses less visible steel and glass, in favor of ‘layer cake’ designs with stone cladding panels on the lowest level.