Vernacular Typologies Research Articles

Place of the people/people of the place: a spatial structure of vernacular practices in Hong Kong

This paper delves into Hong Kong's vernacular spatial cultures and their role in shaping the city's identity. Through a careful architectural survey, the study uncovers unique vernacular spatial practices in Hong Kong, categorising them into eleven vernacular typologies at the district scale. These practices challenge the traditional top-down approach to city planning and design, offering valuable insights into how informal and vernacular practices can create more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient urban spaces. The paper contends that the conventional approach to architectural design has been limited by its focus on abstract interpretations of the city, and argues for a spatial structure that emphasises the empirical study of the physical elements and cultural habitation of the citizens. The urgency of this research lies in its potential to revolutionise urban space production, address social problems and needs, and provide a unique spatial identification for cities in Asia and beyond.

Parametric and Machine Learning-Based Analysis of the Seismic Vulnerability of Adobe Historical Buildings Damaged After the September 2017 Mexico Earthquakes

ABSTRACT In September 2017, two strong earthquakes hit the central region of Mexico, producing substantial damage to the historical buildings. A retroactive analysis for assessing the pre-event seismic vulnerability of these constructions allowed for testing the suitability of an existing parameter-based approach based on material and geometrical features. More than 160 adobe buildings in four municipalities of the State of Morelos were surveyed and included in a vulnerability-oriented GIS database. Data were collected on-site and managed by resorting to open-source GIS software combined with a Python-based database management tool and a cloud-based platform for onsite data collection using mobile devices. The parameter-based approach was used for assessing the analytical seismic vulnerability of the buildings and implementing a secondary, more conservative assessment that considers uncertainties associated with the data acquisition process. The capabilities of the database were further used to train a Machine Learning algorithm aimed at overcoming some representativeness limitations of the parameter-based analytical method. This third approach was found to be suitable for assessing the vulnerability of the building typologies addressed in this investigation. Although the implementation discussed in this paper is limited to a specific vernacular typology, it can be used to conduct customized local calibrations.

Use of Audiovisual Methods and Documentary Film for the Preservation and Reappraisal of the Vernacular Architectural Heritage of the State of Michoacan, Mexico

The State of Michoacan has a wide and rich architectural heritage which is represented by different vernacular typologies which employ different materials and techniques according to the local resources. However, this wide knowledge and cultural heritage are disappearing, with several monuments and buildings being abandoned due to new dynamics and social changes. The traditional techniques have been substituted for modern and industrial construction systems since they are associated with obsolete ways of life. Through international cooperation for development and research projects, many activities were carried out to analyze the durability of local materials and vernacular constructions of the state. The main ones included the architectural survey and inspection of these buildings, photographic and drone surveys, characterization in the laboratory and oral interviews with local users. During the field work, these interviews with the local population, the creation of multimedia content and the use of audiovisual methods had crucial importance in the documentation of this local knowledge and culture, being great methods for scientific communication and dissemination. The main product is the documentary Xirangua, which means ‘roots’ in the Purépecha language, the main indigenous ethnicity in the state. This documentary explores the traditional architecture and construction of Michoacan, showing the reality within the loss of this vernacular heritage and portraying the importance of its conservation through the perspective of the local population, users and artisans. The use of these audiovisual techniques has demonstrated to be a suitable option to promote and preserve cultural heritage and educate, include the local actors in the process, and make the general public aware of the current issues, with this being one of the first works which explores this approach.

Exploring thermal comfort in the context of historical conservation. A study of the vernacular architecture of Pompeii

ABSTRACTInvestigations of the Vernacular Architecture of Pompeii revealed that little work had been carried out on the way the buildings respond to climate and to what extent these buildings were comfortable to the occupant given modern day standards. An integrated methodology from archaeology and architectural science techniques was developed and using a critical case study approach these questions were examined. A case study was selected as representative of the vernacular typology and that was suitably documented from the both methodological perspectives. A computer model was constructed from this data and simulations carried out using weather files from Naples. The findings from the computer simulation suggest that Romans would have been reasonably comfortable in summer; however, in winter the villas would need heating.

Preliminary Study in Finding Alternative Materials: A Study on Traditional Malay Stage-House Typology and Construction in Bangka Island

Woods is the most favoured material for traditional and vernacular housing construction in Indonesia because it is cheap, versatile, and easily accessible. However, the practice of wood constructions has become a laborious task nowadays, with woods availability dwindles and becomes highly unaffordable. Advanced technology in our everyday routines and habits is also indicated as one of many aspects, influencing shifts in today’s vernacular and traditional architecture in Indonesia. Therefore, finding an affordable alternative is crucial to maintain and develop vernacular typologies of traditional houses in Indonesia. This paper focuses on Malay stage-house, a traditional housing typology in Bangka Island, which is in dilemma of being left by the local people. The scarcity of wood makes the material unaffordable for locals, forcing them to adopt a more modern housing typology instead of traditional ones. This paper uses methodologies of literature research, interviews, and field study on Malay stage-house in Muntok City, Bangka. Result and conclusion in this paper, therefore, becomes a preliminary study to propose an alternative and sustainable materials that is available and financially affordable for locals in Muntok without overlooking the authenticity of Malay’s traditional typology and ideology in Bangka Island.

Correlations between GIS-Based Urban Building Densification Analysis and Climate Guidelines for Mediterranean Courtyards

This study identifies and proposes A GIS-based exploration of the relationships between aspect ratio of inner courtyards, porosity of the urban fabric and the climatic factors where it is located. To perform that comparison, morphological and measurement methods have been used to delineate spatial boundaries of urban densification. This methodology has been applied to a case study in Spain, where regulation establishes several climatic zones. Examples of cities in these zones have been examined to establish possible correlations. This paper analyses the particularities of these different urban scenarios, considering the effects of climate on the real urban densification. The purpose of this study is to find a relationship between the historical inner courtyards dimensions and the climate of the zone where they are located. In order to frame the real thermal behaviour of the inner courtyard in the context of the vernacular typologies studied, a representative sample of inner courtyards has been selected. The monitoring data presented allow quantifying the courtyard’s ability to temper the maximum temperature values.

The Once and Future Herod: Vernacular Typology and the Unfolding of Middle English Cycle Drama

From the writings of early Church Fathers through the twelfth century, Herod the Great was considered an exemplar of arrogance as madness, a role that is expanded in the English cycle plays of the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries. In the York, Chester, N-Town, Towneley, and Coventry plays, Herod’s keen historical foresight betrays his awareness of the unfolding of Christian eschatology. The predetermined failure of his own actions to prevent the ascendancy of Christ suggest the impotence of a non-Christian future. Herod’s performances align deviance with knowledge, reaffirming faith and humility as the governing ethics of Christian epistemology. As a medium through which playwrights develop a kind of vernacular typology, the dramatic Herod testifies to the vitality of cycle drama within the landscape of fifteenth-century vernacular theology in England.

Traditional vs modern Arabian morphologies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the component attributes of an Arabian city, caught between tradition and modernization, with focus on their reactions to climate and religion.Design/methodology/approachA platform of comparison between Old Kuwait Town and Kuwait City is provided while showing the effects of oil money on the city's urban morphology. The paper's first section describes the emergence of the Islamic city in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf and identifies key concepts in city morphology. An Islamic School of Law, furthermore, is selected to explain who interprets religious text and how concepts in Islam, such as domestic privacy, are translated into design guidelines, which have influenced the Kuwaiti vernacular typology and street pattern. The transition is made to the second section, which compares Old Kuwait Town and Kuwait City based on knowledge gained in the preceding section. Finally, the third section of the paper recommends some architectural and planning specifications.FindingsIt is found that climate and religion have lost their authority at the expense of a paradigm shift in the 1950s.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper focuses on, and is limited to, one case study.Practical implicationsA few architectural and planning specifications are recommended for application in practice to improve contemporary design and to promote a unified morphological outcome in Kuwait City.Social implicationsThe message is to show readers that progress is about working with, and responding to, local determinants rather than applying Western thinking.Originality/valueThe author advocates a look at precedents, because learning from the past helps to design buildings and plan cities that are compatible with local environments and traditions.

Modernization of the Vernacular Malay House In Kampong Bharu, Kuala Lumpur

Kampong Baharu (KB), literally meaning "New Village", is located in central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It came into existence in 1899 as a reserved area only for ethnic Malays. Over time, urban growth resulted in the settlement losing its agricultural value and now it is a unique preserved housing area for Malays. Many vernacular Malay houses that were built in the 1900s still exist in KB. These houses were not original vernacular houses and were transformed and modernized into unique typologies that lie between the traditional and modern typologies.This study defines these houses as 'modern' vernacular Malay houses and attempts to explore the typologies of such houses built during the 1900s in KB. More than 100 vernacular Malay houses in KB were investigated and analyzed with respect to three major elements of order of the traditional Malay house elevation: roof, wall and pillar. As a result of this study, several representative 'modern' vernacular typologies were proposed. It is important to document these typologies because they demonstrate how traditional vernacular Malay houses were transformed into modern houses through the modernization process.

Seeing the Big Picture: Integrating Visual Resources for Art Libraries

Previous articleNext article FreeSeeing the Big Picture: Integrating Visual Resources for Art LibrariesClaire DannenbaumClaire Dannenbaum Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Art Documentation Volume 27, Number 1Spring 2008 Published for the Art Libraries Society of North America Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/adx.27.1.27949478 Views: 17Total views on this site Copyright © 2008 ARLIS/NAPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Understanding and (dis)trusting food assurance schemes: Consumer confidence and the ‘knowledge fix’

This paper uses evidence from focus groups with consumers in England to consider how consumers understand and evaluate a range of proxies or intermediary organisations that offer assurance about food and consumer products, particularly voluntary certification schemes. This addresses the current concern in developed economies about providing information in order to reconnect consumers with food producers and to support moves towards more local, fairly traded and sustainable production. However, we show that such a ‘knowledge fix’ approach of providing information may not reconnect consumers so easily. Participants found it particularly difficult to work out what certification involved and what kinds of organisations were providing assurance. They built vernacular typologies and comparative judgements that did not necessarily identify or prioritise ‘independent’ third-party certification as the gold standard, not least because of the practical difficulties of monitoring complex supply chains, and expressed confusion and scepticism about how well food assurance schemes could work in practice. Our results therefore problematise the knowledge fix urged in the literature and emphasise instead the need to better understand how consumers make sense of assurance information in different contexts.