Seminar - Vernacular architecture and construction IS-FA-00081

PART I. ARCHITECTURE AND CULTURE :
1. The cultural context of towns and cities (15-minute oral presentation; discussion)
2. The cultural context of settlement patterns (15-minute oral presentation; discussion)
3. The cultural context of home (15-minute oral presentation; discussion)

PART II. VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE:
4. What does ‘vernacular architecture’ mean? (written 1-page essay; discussion)
5. Types (discussion)
6. Patterns (discussion)
7. Forms (discussion)

PART III. VERNACULAR CONSTRUCTION:
8. Indigenous/vernacular timber constructions (a lecture + discussion; student’s assignment: written 1-page essay)
9. Indigenous/vernacular earthen constructions (a lecture + discussion; student’s assignment: written 1-page essay)
10. Indigenous/vernacular wattled constructions (a lecture + discussion; student’s assignment: written 1-page essay)
11. Indigenous/vernacular composite constructions (a lecture + discussion; student’s assignment: written 1-page essay)

PART IV. LEARNING FROM VERNACULAR:
12. New vernacular-inspired constructions (strawbale, earth-filled tubes, etc.; a lecture + discussion; student’s assignment: written 1-page essay)
13. Vernacular material engineered (timber: CLT; earth: stabilized; etc.; a lecture + discussion; student’s assignment: written 1-page essay)
14. Architectural forms inspired by vernacular (a lecture + discussion; student’s assignment: written 1-page essay)

PART V. EXAM* + SUMMARIES OF ASSIGNMENTS:
15a. Summaries of assignments.
15b. An exam*, or alternatively, an extended student’s written elaboration, or alternatively, a detailed architectural design of vernacular-inspired house (with short essay).
*Students with the highest marks for their previous assignments (essays and discussion activity) will pass the course without obligation for an exam

Skills to be acquired:
• at the end of the course, the student will be skilled in “reading” vernacular buildings in terms of their functional and constructional interpretation, recognising their origin, age, changes, etc.;
• he/she will acquire basic skills for conservation and repair of historic vernacular constructions;