Natural environment as an influencing factor for the architecture of the Dinaric and Carpathian log cabin

Abstract

Similarities between the forms of log cabins in the Carpathians and the Dinarides are evident. There is also an obvious likeness between the natural environment in the Dinarides and the Carpathians. This raises the logical question of why the builders in these two places built houses identical in form and whether the natural environment had any influence on this. Scientists have determined that humans inherit a genetic attraction towards their natural surroundings and that they react positively to it, even if they have never experienced living there. The constant contact humans had with nature and naturally occurring shapes and forms led them to develop aesthetic preferences towards this kind of imagery and build architectural spaces they could associate with them. The Dinaric and Carpathian log cabins are a clear example of how the environment influenced the aesthetic preferences of vernacular builders, creating a need to design naturally evocative spaces inspired by the imagery they perceived in their natural habitat. It is very telling that the vernacular builders, who could have built their log cabins in a number of different ways without coming into conflict with objective factors of their surroundings, still independently chose an identical design. The desire of builders in the Carpathians and the Dinarides to build forms that matched their natural environment is evident, which, according to evolutionary psychology, is a consequence of evolutionary development and the need to ensure survival. Builders in the Carpathians and the Dinarides used more complicated and demanding constructive elements in order to get a more natural form of the building. When they create, humans can only use the forms they are familiar with and which they have developed aesthetic preferences for, and this includes any naturally occurring shapes, such as vegetation and terrain configuration. The similarities between the Dinaric and Carpathian log cabins are a result of the vernacular builders using locally sourced natural materials and taking into account factors such as climate, vegetation and terrain configuration, which they had developed similar aesthetic preferences for. The natural environment, as a factor of aesthetic preferences of vernacular builders, conditioned the architectural form of the Carpathian and Dinaric log cabins.