An idea of home
There's this concept called "vernacular architecture" that refers to a style or design developed from local needs, using local materials, and reflecting local traditions. In contrast to formal architect's academic professionalization, the vernacular architect actually isn't an architect at all , by modern definitions.
Coleman McCormick • Designing from Experience, Not Expertise
Vernacular design is a reminder that beauty and functionality in design are not the sole purview of trained experts. It underscores the potential of non-professionals to create things with both practicality and aesthetics. By valuing the wisdom inherent in these traditional designs, we not only celebrate the creativity of non-experts but also embra... See more
Coleman McCormick • Designing from Experience, Not Expertise
Vernacular, in these contexts, no longer indexes a rigid traditionalism but a space of possibility that could be articulated to creative projects integrating vernacular forms, concrete places and landscapes, ecological restoration, and environmental and digital technologies in order to deal with serious problems of livelihood while reinvigorating c
... See moreArturo Escobar • Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds (New Ecologies for the Twenty-First Century)
Vernacular forms of design may be particularly relevant when used in design projects intended to strengthen communal autonomy and resilience.
Arturo Escobar • Designs for the Pluriverse: Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds (New Ecologies for the Twenty-First Century)
I was delighted when I found the contemporary French philosopher Alain de Botton and his book “The Architecture of Happiness,” about the philosophical and psychological relationship between architecture and our identities.
De Botton writes: “The buildings we admire are ultimately those which, in a variety of ways, extol the values we think worthwhil... See more
De Botton writes: “The buildings we admire are ultimately those which, in a variety of ways, extol the values we think worthwhil... See more
Architecture Archives - Slow Space
Vernacular architecture is not the product of a single visionary, but the collective, learned wisdom of a community. It represents a collaborative effort where knowledge and skills are shared and passed down through generations.
Coleman McCormick • Designing from Experience, Not Expertise
I remembered once, in Japan, having been to see the Gold Pavilion Temple in Kyoto and being mildly surprised at quite how well it had weathered the passage of time since it was first built in the fourteenth century. I was told it hadn’t weathered well at all, and had in fact been burnt to the ground twice in this century. ‘So it isn’t the original
... See moreMark Carwardine • Last Chance To See
Japanese architecture, on the other hand, doesn’t try to be imposing or perfect, because it is built in the spirit of wabi-sabi. The tradition of making structures out of wood presupposes their impermanence and the need for future generations to rebuild them. Japanese culture accepts the fleeting nature of the human being and everything we create.