Architecture history

The branding of vernacular designs.

Malak Amr 202102992

Vernacular designs “the common speech of building” designed with an immerse range varying in
types, forms, traditions, uses and context. Making each region defined by their own designs based
on their needs and local materials presented to these community builders.

Some of the main principles of vernacular designs are aesthetics, ecological, muse logical and spatial
as locals still care to create a building catering their exact needs and designed based on their
everyday life activities while using local easily accessible material while implementing some muse
logical values defining their tradition and implementing their history in someway as a way of
documenting and educating on how their ancestors live.

In Gouna the main aim of the city was to create an eco-friendly environment with a low ecological
footprint by using local sustainable materials, passive design strategies for energy efficient cooling,
heating, ventilation and natural day light.

They implemented the usage of modern knowledge of passive strategies with design elements used
in the vernacular designs around the same context to create a familiarly known aesthetic for users
reminding them of their culture and tradition. Originally stone domes were used to avoid heat gain
and thick walls are used to increase the thermal mass of the structure, creating a natural cooling
effect and maintaining a comfortable temperature into the area.

Not to mention how cultural implantations into designs attract tourists as they can enjoy more than
one aspect into the city creating a visual story into their mind to be mentioned for a life time.

The artifact I’m mentioning is

Michael Graves & Associates, El Gouna Golf Hotel and Club, Red Sea, Egypt, 1997‒2000.