This paper is concerned

with vernacular buildings

and settlements
from the point of view of
the designer.

Designers point of view

The forces that shape these dwellings

and give them clearly identifiable
characteristics and their lessons for the
present day have been the primary
interests.

Form

=?+?+?...
Forces

Intention of the paper is to

propose a conceptual framework
for looking at the great variety of
house forms and the forces that
affect them.

The Nature and Definition of the

Fieldof needs, desires and
The folk architecture is the direct translation
passions of people into physical form with no architect to grind. Within
this folk tradition we may distinguish between primitive and vernacular
buildings.

Primitive building refers to that produced by societies defined as primitive

by anthropologists. Here everyone is capable of building his own dwelling and all
the dwellings are basically identical.
In case of Vernacular building, it can be described best in terms of its
design process. When building tradesmen is used for construction of dwellings, we
may arbitrarily say that primitive buildings give way to vernacular. Even in this
case, everyone in the society knows the building type and even how to build them.
Here there is more individual variability.

Primitive

Vernacular

The Alternative Theories of House

Form
Climate and the Need for Shelter
Materials, Construction and Technology
Site
Economics
Religion

Ancient Greek Court House

Climatic determinism has been

widely accepted in
architecture. The question is
why the same area has
developed both the court
house and other forms as in
the case of Greece, where both
the court form and Megaron
were found. More important
consideration is why so many
forms of the house have been
developed within the limited
number of climatic zones. The
importance of this variable is
not denied, but merely its
determining role is doubtful.

Climate and the Need for Shelter

In this view, forms develop as

man learns to master more
complex building techniques,
and all forms are part of a
progressive development. The
determinist factor of materials
and
technology
can
be
neglected because, man can
do something does not mean
that he will do. For example,
although
the
ancient
Egyptians knew the vault,
they rarely used it since it
was at odds with their image
or idea of the building.

Materials, Construction and

Technology

Site
It would be wrong to minimize the importance of site
for primitive and vernacular builders, but one can
question the determining influence of the site on
house form. For example, there are differences
between the house forms in Chihuahua (Mexico) and
Texas, which are separated by the border, an
imaginary line in physical terms, but very real in terms
of attitudes to life, economics, nature, and the
meaning attached to the house and the city.

Chihuahua (Mexico) houses

Houses

Texas

Economics has been widely used

to explain settlement and building
form and its importance is, indeed
great. However, it is possible to
question its form determining role.
In an economy of scarcity,
economic forces may be expected
to wield tremendous power. But
under those conditions, where
economic forces are not dominant,
the argument for economics as
form determinate, becomes rather
suspect. An example is the Cebuan
dwelling in the Philippines which
would be more economical if built
differently, but social cooperation,
good will and community are the
dominant factors.

conomics

Religion

Possibly as a reaction to the physical determinism, there is also an antiphysical determinism, which neglects a whole set of important material
factors, and attributes the form of houses to religion.
Raglan states that the house is much more than a shelter. For many peoples
in ancient Rome, New Caledonia, Cambodia, Annam, and China, the house
was the only temple. Religion affects the form, plan, spatial arrangements
and orientation of the house.

Round houses

For example, the

reason for a culture
never having had
round houses may
well be due to the
needs of cosmic
orientation. Round
house cannot easily
be oriented. Many
examples can be
found, like the Zulu,
where orientation is
unimportant, round
houses are used.

Rectangular houses

Given a certain climate, the

availability of certain materials and
the constraints and capabilities of a
given level of technology, what finally
decides the form of a dwelling and
moulds the spaces and their
relationships is, the vision that people
have of the ideal life. The discussion
can best begin by considering the
impact of the cosmic image on form.

Socio Cultural Factors and House Form

Among the Dogon and Bambara of

Mali every object and social event has
a symbolic as well as a utilitarian
function. The farm plots and whole
landscape of the Dogon reflect this
cosmic order. Their villages are built
in pairs to represent heaven and earth
while the house of the chief, is a
model of the universe at a smaller
scale.
Cantonese peasants use to relate
supernatural forces and the
orientation of settlements and
houses, since these lucky
supernatural forces need to be tapped
for good fortune. They believe that
these forces flow like water from the
hills and the power of the clan is
increased if one can tune into them
and they are made to flow into the
ancestral hall. The layout of rooms
inside the house and even the

Socio Cultural Factors and House

Form
The possibility of this degree of choice and freedom with

Criticality and Choice

regard to the house, even under the maximum degree of

constraint, is most usefully understood through the
concept of criticality. This is the crucial argument;
because if physical criticality is low, socio-cultural factors
can operate; because they can operate, purely physical
forces cannot determine form.

The overall concept of genre does not help us to

determine how it affects the forms of dwellings and
settlements. For that purpose it is necessary to break
it down into terms even more specific and concrete
because the lack of criticality in house form means
that the same objectives can be met in many
different ways and how a thing is done may be more
important than what is done.
If we consider something as basic as breathing in
specific terms, we become aware of its complex effect
on built form. For example, in regard to fresh air or
smells, the Eskimo accepts very high smell
concentrations inside the Igloo and the smell of the
toilet is accepted in the traditional Japanese house.
The Chinese practice of the family eating together
and the Japanese one of men eating first and women
and children later, also affected the form of their
houses. We thus see that the basic need of eating
does not say much about form. We need to know the
specific manner of how and where eating and cooking
are done.

Basic Needs

A Look at Present
The study of the past is valuable
philosophically as well as in making us
aware of the complexity and overlapping of
things. It can also clarify those elements
that are constant and those which change.

Our era is one of reduced physical

constraints. We can do very much more
than what was possible in the past, and
criticality is lower than ever. The result is
the problem of excessive choice, the
difficulty of selecting or finding constraints
which arose naturally in the past and which
are necessary for the creation of meaningful
house form.
The value of constraints needs to be
understood for the establishment of
generalized frameworks.
The question is to what extent the
conceptual framework proposed applies to
house form of today. If this framework can
still be applied today, it will not only explain
the past but also illuminate the future.

Climate and the Need for Shelter

Materials, Construction and Technology
Site
Economics
Religion
Criticality and Choice
Basic Needs

Thank you