STUDIES ON

Significance of Vernacular Architecture in terms of

Tradition, Modernity & Cultural Sustainability
SERIES-I

Presenter:
Saurav Koirala
 INTRODUCTION
Sign if ica nce o f Vern a cu la r Architecture in terms of
Tradition, Modernity & Cultural Sustainability
SERIES - I
1. D e f i n i t i o n o f Ve r n a c u l a r
2. P e o p l e , C u l t u r e a n d t h e Ve r n a c u l a r
3. C l i m a t e a n d t h e Ve r n a c u l a r
4. M a t e r i a l s , C o n s t r u c t i o n a n d t h e Ve r n a c u l a r
5. T h e Ve r n a c u l a r L a n d s c a p e s
SERIES - II
1. R u r a l Ve r n a c u l a r
2. U r b a n Ve r n a c u l a r
3. I n f o r m a l S e t t l e m e n t s a n d t h e Ve r n a c u l a r
4. C o n s e r v a t i o n o f t h e B u i l t Ve r n a c u l a r
5. T h e f u t u r e o f Ve r n a c u l a r A r c h i t e c t u r e i n N e p a l
EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
• Deepen appreciation of the values and meanings of vernacular
architecture in local environment

• Establish perspectives on the more complex issues in vernacular

architecture such as self-conscious or un -self-conscious, way of
building , informality in settlement and cultural sustainability

• Generate ideas of how to protect, preserve and further explore our

local vernacular-built environment .
L E T S H AV E D I S C U S S I O N !
1 . 1 D E F I N I N G V E R N AC U L A R . . .
 Pa u l O l i ve r
Dictionaries

I CO M O S
M a ny S c h o l a r

L a t i n Wo r d ,
Ve r n a c u l u s ( N a t i v e )
➢ P a u l O l i v e r, E n c y c l o p e d i a o f Ve r n a c u l a r
A r c h i te c t u r e o f Wo r l d
 It's the local dialect in built form,. It's
a local character that is identifiable
w i t h t h a t p a r t i c u l a r c o m m u n i t y,
particular area.

t h e b u i l d i n g t h a t ' s m o s t l i ke l y t o b e
built in a particular place, at a
particular time.
Ordinary People

h o w I w o u l d l i ke t o d e f i n e t h e v e r n a c u l a r,
a n d i t i n c l u d e s , i n f a c t , m a ny o f t h e
b u i l d i n g s o f t h e wo r l d .
building of ordinary people
Tr a d i t i o n a l a n d I n d i g e n o u s - Ve r n a c u l a r o r n o t ?

Tr a d i t i o n a l - a p r o c e s s o f t r a n s m i s s i o n
of knowledge from one generation to
another in the form of tradition.

Indigenous - locally available building

material, construction technologies
common things: recognizable building
forms and appearance; the way
buildings are put together with
community effort and common
materials; construction systems and
crafts.
Recognizable building
form and appearance
the way building put together
the way building put together
the way building put together
Ve r n a c u l a r e n v i r o n m e n t s s h o u l d
include buildings and landscapes,
urban or rural, which are made by
ordinary people, based on a shared
knowledge that are commonly
understood and shared among the
people of the same cultural or ethnic
root.
1 . 2 V E R N AC U L A R E X A M P L ES . . .
B u i l d i n g a l o n g t h e st re et . . .
Kirtipur
Dhankuta
B u i l d i n g i t s e l f. . .
the pitched roof
timber details
Picturesque windows
So when we look at the vernacular building, we're not looking at
s i m p l y a b u i l d i n g i t s e l f, b u t w e ' r e l o o k i n g a t t h e c o m m u n i t y.
we're looking at community
B u i l d i n g a n d i t s re l at i o n . . .
relationship with
people
I d o n ' t t h i n k we ca n o n l y l o o k at o l d b u i l d i n g . . .
ordinarily built with adaptation
1 . 3 T H R EAT S TO V E R N AC U L A R A R C H I T EC T U R E O F N E PA L . . .
S u r v i va l o f Ve r n a c u l a r A rc h i te c t u re i s t h re ate n e d b y
fo rc e s o f e co n o m i c , c u l t u ra l a n d a rc h i te c t u ra l
h o m o ge n i zat i o n . . .
t h e st r u g g l e b et we e n t ra d i t i o n a n d m o d e r n i t y
old building
new building in new teritory
decorative details
decorative details
decorative details
decorative details
decorative details
decorative details
construction detail
construction detail
 h o m o ge n i zat i o n o f c u l t u re a n d
o f g l o b a l s o c i o - e co n o m i c t ra n sfo r m at i o n
fa c i n g s e r i o u s p ro b l e m o f o b s o l e s c e n c e
- unprecedented growth and changes
(more population concentrating in cities)
- pressure from competing high value activities
(land prices)
- impact of major infrastructure programs
(building more super highways)
- environmental pressure
(uncontrolled carbon emission and polluted industrial area)
- human causes
( w a r, t h e f t , n e g l e c t , i l l e g a l t r a d e , i g n o r a n c e )
- natural causes
( e a r t h q u a ke , t y p h o o n , f l o o d , t i d a l w a v e , h u m i d i t y a n d i n s e c t s )
1 . 4 WAYS TO A P P R EC I AT E O U R OW N E N V I RO N M E N T. . .
Paul Oliver listed20 different approaches to do that:

A e st h et i c , A nt h ro p o l o g i ca l , A rc h a e o l o g i ca l , A rc h i te c t u ra l ,
B e h av i o ra l , C o n s e r vat i o n i st , D e ve l o p m e nta l , Eco l o g i ca l ,
Et h n o l o g i ca l , G e o g ra p h i ca l , H i sto r i ca l
Bernard Rudolfsky suggested number of lenses:

S h e l te r, Pe a s a nt o r R u ra l , Tra d i t i o n a l A rc h i te c t u re ,
I n d i ge n o u s , P r i m i t i ve , P re - i n d u st r i a l etc . . .
1 9 t h c e nt u r y a rc h i te c t b e ga n to q u a l i f i e d a s p ro fe s s i o n a l s ,
h a d to get l i c e n s e s , h a d to g o to s c h o o l s to get t h e i r
q u a l i f i cat i o n s .
B efo re 1 9 t h c e nt u r y, t h e l e ga l co n n o tat i o n o f A rc h i te c t
d i d n ' t ex i st , b u t t h e p o s i t i o n o f t h e m a ste r b u i l d e r a n d
a rc h i te c t i n fa c t ex i st .
U l t i m ate l y we n e e d to d e c i d e fo r o u rs e l f, w h at
m a ke s e n s e to u s , i n o u r o w n a p p re c i at i o n o f
ve r n a c u l a r a rc h i te c t u re .
C O N C LU D I N G . . .
W hy ve r n a c u l a r a rc h i te c t u re i s a n i m p o r ta nt p a r t o f o u r
wo r l d ?
T H A N K YO U. . . !