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"Ethnoarch Presents" features articles on the topic of traditional, vernacular and ethno architectures.

What is Vernacular Architecture? (Summary)

Gabriel Arboleda

An alcove-sheltered Chaco house.

The term vernacular architecture refers to those buildings made by common builders in an informal way, rather than by architects using design methodologies. Although it was used for the first time in the early nineteenth century, the concept only became popular in the mid-twentieth century, when dwellings were presented in architects' exhibitions as objects of aesthetic value, and in books as elements of cultural interest. Even though the idea of the vernacular in architecture could sound strange to many, it is not so much so, if we consider that only 10 percent of the buildings in which we live or work are designed by architects, and a huge 90 percent of the world's architecture is vernacular.

Vernacular solutions frequently exhibit the same, or even higher, levels of creativity than those reached through the academic process of design. This is partly because, contrary to their academically trained counterparts, common builders do not have a professional image to protect. They just take chances without being afraid if the final results will be or not well accomplished. That explains why, despite their lack of formal training, vernacular builders are prone to find successful technological alternatives, which architects end up adopting. Examples of these alternatives are how vernacular buildings interact harmoniously with their environments, and how in the vernacular natural resources are managed to diminish the environmental impact of the building.

See Spanish version of this article.

Published: January 10, 2006 . Category: General Info

For academic purposes, please cite this page as:
Arboleda, Gabriel. What is Vernacular Architecture? (Summary) [online]. Berkeley, CA: Ethnoarchitecture.com, 10 January 2006 [cited 21 May 2013]. Available from World Wide Web: <http://www.ethnoarchitecture.org/web/articles/article/449>.

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