The vernacular Architecture
What is Vernacular Architecture?
العمارة العامية، الشعبية!
Local / Traditional/ conventional
Handmade/ low tech/
Self help/ craftsmen/ no engineers
Differences from historical Architecture
Why?
Revolution against Modernism
Wasted Aesthetic Values
Nationalism, dignity
Economic/ domestic technology
Local Climatic Adaptation (passive techniques)
Well known, locally accepted.
Attractive for tourism, defines an (Ethnic) atmosphere
Double encoding and symbolic metaphors
Why not?
Retarted,
low quality: less durable, Cracks, pests…
Against people ambitions
Symbol of the Past (sometimes Symbol of the dead!)
Vernacular Architecture of the world
Western vernacular architecture
Natural Materials: Wooden pitched roofs, Wood or brick walls.
Wood windows
African vernacular Architecture
Mali, Burkina Faso, Nubia, Morocco
Earth vernacular housing: Recycling buildings,
Arabic-Islamic vernacular Architecture
Aseer, Yemen.
Tunis, Bosnia, Montenero
Egyptian vernacular Architecture
Egyptian vernacular
rural mud-brick housing
Neo-Vernacular Egyptian Aachitecture
The God fathers: Ramsees Wisa wasef and Hassan Fat’hy:
Hassan Fat’hy:
The genius question!
Housing for poor…. Or housing for rich!
Al-Gourna: the complexity of sociological aspects in Architecture
Ramsees Wisa Wasef, the success with the society
Mud bricks: Building from earth that gets back to earth
Open Discussion Session
Assignment:
Visit el Harraneyah village, Wisa wasef House (or any building by him) and hand made carpets workshops.
Photograph the Nature, buildings, people working in craftsmanship of carpets, and their products.
Analyze the Aesthetics of the buildings and other objects
project 2:
Build a house model using plastic clay to represent an earth built house made from mud brick or molded mud, the house might be a house for a farmer or a country house for a rich owner. |