Vernacular Architecture

Vernacular architecture is a category of architecture based on local needs and

construction materials, and reflecting local traditions.
It tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural, technological, and
historical context in which it exists. While often not thoroughly and academically
planned, this kind of architecture played and still plays a major role in the history of
architecture and design, especially in local branches.
Vernacular architecture can be contrasted against polite architecture which is
characterised by stylistic elements of design intentionally incorporated for aesthetic
purposes which go beyond a buildings functional re!uirements. "or the similarities to
#traditional architecture# see below.
$he term vernacular is derived from the %atin vernaculus, meaning #domestic, native,
indigenous#& from verna, meaning #native slave# or #home'born slave#. $he word
probably derives from an older (truscan word.
In linguistics, vernacular refers to language use particular to a time, place or group. In
architecture, it refers to that type of architecture which is indigenous to a specific time or
place )not imported or copied from elsewhere*. It is most often applied to residential
buildings.
$he terms vernacular, folk, traditional, and popular architecture are sometimes used
synonymously. +owever, Allen ,oble wrote a lengthy discussion of these terms in
$raditional -uildings. A /lobal 0urvey of 0tructural "orms and 1ultural "unctions where
he presents scholarly opinions that folk building or folk architecture is built by #...persons
not professionally trained in building arts...#& where vernacular architecture is still of the
common people but may be built by trained professionals such as through an
apprenticeship, but still using local, traditional designs and materials. $raditional
architecture is architecture is passed down from person to person, generation to
generation, particularly orally, but at any level of society, not just by common people.
,oble discourages use of the term primitive architecture as having a negative
connotation. $he term popular architecture is used more in eastern (urope and is
synonymous with folk or vernacular architecture.
Architecture designed by professional architects is usually not considered to be
vernacular. Indeed, it can be argued that the very process of consciously designing a
building makes it not vernacular. 2aul 3liver, in his book 4wellings, states. #...it is
contended that popular architecture designed by professional architects or commercial
builders for popular use, does not come within the compass of the vernacular#. 3liver
also offers the following simple definition of vernacular architecture. #the architecture of
the people, and by the people, but not for the people.#
"rank %loyd Wright described vernacular architecture as #"olk building growing in
response to actual needs, fitted into environment by people who knew no better than to fit
them with native feeling#. suggesting that it is a primitive form of design, lacking
intelligent thought, but he also stated that it was #for us better worth study than all the
highly self'conscious academic attempts at the beautiful throughout (urope#.
5any modern architects have studied vernacular buildings and claimed to draw
inspiration from them, including aspects of the vernacular in their designs. In 6789, the
(gyptian architect +assan "athy was appointed to design the town of ,ew /ourna near
%uxor. +aving studied traditional ,ubian settlements and technologies, he incorporated
the traditional mud brick vaults of the ,ubian settlements in his designs. $he experiment
failed, due to a variety of social and economic reasons, but is the first recorded attempt by
an architect to address the social and environmental re!uirements of building users by
adopting the methods and forms of the vernacular.
In 6798 the exhibition Architecture Without Architects was put on at the 5useum of
5odern Art, ,ew :ork by -ernard ;udofsky. Accompanied by a book of the same title,
including black'and'white photography of vernacular buildings around the world, the
exhibition was extremely popular. It was ;udofsky who first made use of the term
vernacular in an architectural context, and brought the concept into the eye of the public
and of mainstream architecture. #"or want of a generic label we shall call it vernacular,
anonymous, spontaneous, indigenous, rural, as the case may be.#
0ince the emergence of the term in the 67<=s, vernacular considerations have played an
increasing part in architectural designs, although individual architects had widely varying
opinions of the merits of the vernacular.
0ri %ankan architect /eoffrey -awa is considered the pioneer of regional modernism in
0outh Asia. Along with him, modern proponents of the use of the vernacular in
architectural design include 1harles 1orrea, a well known Indian architect& 5u>harul
Islam and -ashirul +a!, internationally known -angladeshi architects& -alkrishna 4oshi,
another Indian, who established the Vastu'0hilpa "oundation in Ahmedabad to research
the vernacular architecture of the region& and 0heila 0ri 2rakash who has used rural
Indian architecture as an inspiration for innovations in environmental and socio'
economically sustainable design and planning. $he 4utch architect Aldo van (yck was
also a proponent of vernacular architecture.?68@.6A Architects whose work exemplifies
the modern take on vernacular architecture would be 0amuel 5ockbee, 1hristopher
Alexander and 2aolo 0oleri.
Vernacular architecture is influenced by a great range of different aspects of human
behaviour and environment, leading to differing building forms for almost every different
context& even neighboring villages may have subtly different approaches to the
construction and use of their dwellings, even if they at first appear the same. 4espite
these variations, every building is subject to the same laws of physics, and hence will
demonstrate significant similarities in structural forms.
1limate
3ne of the most significant influences on vernacular architecture is the macro climate of
the area in which the building is constructed. -uildings in cold climates invariably have
high thermal mass or significant amounts of insulation. $hey are usually sealed in order
to prevent heat loss, and openings such as windows tend to be small or non'existent.
-uildings in warm climates, by contrast, tend to be constructed of lighter materials and to
allow significant cross'ventilation through openings in the fabric of the building.
-uildings for a continental climate must be able to cope with significant variations in
temperature, and may even be altered by their occupants according to the seasons.
-uildings take different forms depending on precipitation levels in the region B leading to
dwellings on stilts in many regions with fre!uent flooding or rainy monsoon seasons. "lat
roofs are rare in areas with high levels of precipitation. 0imilarly, areas with high winds
will lead to speciali>ed buildings able to cope with them, and buildings will be oriented to
present minimal area to the direction of prevailing winds.
1limatic influences on vernacular architecture are substantial and can be extremely
complex. 5editerranean vernacular, and that of much of the 5iddle (ast, often includes a
courtyard with a fountain or pond& air cooled by water mist and evaporation is drawn
through the building by the natural ventilation set up by the building form. 0imilarly,
,orthern African vernacular often has very high thermal mass and small windows to keep
the occupants cool, and in many cases also includes chimneys, not for fires but to draw
air through the internal spaces. 0uch speciali>ations are not designed, but learnt by trial
and error over generations of building construction, often existing long before the
scientific theories which explain why they work.
1ulture
$he way of life of building occupants, and the way they use their shelters, is of great
influence on building forms. $he si>e of family units, who shares which spaces, how food
is prepared and eaten, how people interact and many other cultural considerations will
affect the layout and si>e of dwellings.
"or example, the family units of several (ast African ethnic communities live in family
compounds, surrounded by marked boundaries, in which separate single'roomed
dwellings are built to house different members of the family. In polygamous communities
there may be separate dwellings for different wives, and more again for sons who are too
old to share space with the women of the family. 0ocial interaction within the family is
governed by, and privacy is provided by, the separation between the structures in which
family members live. -y contrast, in Western (urope, such separation is accomplished
inside one dwelling, by dividing the building into separate rooms.
1ulture also has a great influence on the appearance of vernacular buildings, as occupants
often decorate buildings in accordance with local customs and beliefs.
,omadic dwellings
$here are many cultures around the world which include some aspect of nomadic life,
and they have all developed vernacular solutions for the need for shelter. $hese all
include appropriate responses to climate and customs of their inhabitants, including
practicalities of simple construction such as huts, and if necessary, transport such as tents.
$he Inuit people have a number of different forms of shelter appropriate to different
seasons and geographical locations, including the igloo )for winter* and the tupi! )for
summer*. $he 0ami of ,orthern (urope, who live in climates similar to those
experienced by the Inuit, have developed different shelters appropriate to their culture
including the lavvu and goahti. $he development of different solutions in similar
circumstances because of cultural influences is typical of vernacular architecture.
5any nomadic people use materials common in the local environment to construct
temporary dwellings, such as the 2unan of 0arawak who use palm fronds, or the Ituri
2ygmies who use saplings and mongongo leaves to construct domed huts. 3ther cultures
reuse materials, transporting them with them as they move. (xamples of this are the
tribes of 5ongolia, who carry their gers )yurts* with them, or the black desert tents of the
Cashgai in Iran. ,otable in each case is the significant impact of the availability of
materials and the availability of pack animals or other forms of transport on the ultimate
form of the shelters.
All the shelters are adapted to suit the local climate. $he 5ongolian gers )yurts*, for
example, are versatile enough to be cool in hot continental summers and warm in the sub'
>ero temperaturs of 5ongolian winters, and include a close'able ventilation hole at the
centre and a chimney for a stove. A ger is typically not often relocated, and is therefore
sturdy and secure, including wooden front door and several layers of coverings. A berber
tent, by contrast, might be relocated daily, and is much lighter and !uicker to erect and
dismantle B and because of the climate it is used in, does not need to provide the same
degree of protection from the elements.
2ermanent dwellings
$he type of structure and materials used for a dwelling vary depending on how
permanent it is. "re!uently moved nomadic structures will be lightweight and simple,
more permanent ones will be less so. When people settle somewhere permanently, the
architecture of their dwellings will change to reflect that.
5aterials used will become heavier, more solid and more durable. $hey may also become
more complicated and more expensive, as the capital and labour re!uired to construct
them is a one'time cost. 2ermanent dwellings often offer a greater degree of protection
and shelter from the elements. In some cases however, where dwellings are subjected to
severe weather conditions such as fre!uent flooding or high winds, buildings may be
deliberately #designed# to fail and be replaced, rather than re!uiring the uneconomical or
even impossible structures needed to withstand them. $he collapse of a relatively flimsy,
lightweight structure is also less likely to cause serious injury than a heavy structure.
3ver time, dwellings architecture may come to reflect a very specific geographical
locale.
(nvironment and materials
$he local environment and the construction materials it can provide, govern many aspects
of vernacular architecture. Areas rich in trees will develop a wooden vernacular, while
areas without much wood may use mud or stone. In early 1alifornia redwood water
towers supporting redwood tanks and enclosed by redwood siding )tankhouses* were part
of a self'contained wind'powered domestic water system. In the "ar (ast it is common to
use bamboo, as it is both plentiful and versatile. Vernacular, almost by definition, is
sustainable, and will not exhaust the local resources. If it is not sustainable, it is not
suitable for its local context, and cannot be vernacular.