LEARNING FROM THE VERNACULAR:

Sustainable Planning and Design

Ahmet Eyüce
Abstract
Ecologically fit built form and settlement is an outcome of harmonious modes of interaction between the man-made
and the natural environment. It is also the prerequisite of a sustainable planning and design process. In building terms,
an ecologically fit building involves the existence of appropriate schemes of enclosures and exposures of indoor spaces
which is achieved through fundamental building features like relations with the ground, properties of building mass,
treatment of the building envelop and roof performance.
While the debate on the conflicting aspects of the two extremes, namely the international style and regionalism,

open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
continues to occupy architectural media, a new paradigm of place dependent ecological architecture has to be for-
mulated. In this connection it is not surprising to notice that vernacular built form based on building traditions are eco-
logically fit and may well constitute a sound source of information. This study aims at deciphering relevant clues to be
utilized as design guidelines through the analysis of fundamental building features of vernacular built environments.

K e y w o r d s : Enclosure /Exposure; Introversion /Extroversion; Ecological Design; Settlement Patterns; Vernacular

Building; Ecologically Fit Building.

INTRODUCTION this context, it has to be made clear that 'sustainable

Sustainable planning and design evokes harmo-
nious patterns of interaction between the built form
and the factors imposed by the natural environ-
ment, namely climate, topography, flora, fauna,
and available natural building materials. As
opposed to the anthropocentric notion of the han-
dling of natural environmental issues, harmonious
patterns of interaction entail new approaches
based on the radical reconfiguration of values.
Centered around a holistic view implicit in ecology,
"the patterns of interaction between the living and
non-living must be re-evaluated as a community of
interdependent parts" (Guy & Farmer 2001:140-
148) to the extent of non-interference with nature at
all. This view is best emphasized like this: "Each
building is an act against nature; it directly makes
some portions of the Earth's surface organically
sterile by covering it over, rendering that area inca-
pable of producing those natural resources that
require the interaction between soil, sun, and water.
As a result in ecological terms, a building is a par-
asite."(Guy & Farmer 2001:140-148; Curwell &
Cooper 1988:17-27)
A new land ethic dictates the position of humans
as an integral part of the Earth as a community. In
planning and design' does not only involve benefit-
ing from the desirable effect of nature but also to
refrain oneself from giving harm to the environ-
ment. In other words, fit to a place does also make
inevitable the reduction of the ecological foot print.
Interaction with the environment involves, in
architectural or in building terms, both separations
from and connections with the natural and man-
made surroundings of the indoor spaces.
Harmonious relationships with nature are achieved
by means of ecologically appropriate exposures of
spaces enclosed within the building envelop to the
world outside. While the debate on whether the
determinants of house form are natural or cultural
occupies an important place in scholarly works, it is
accepted by one and all that vernacular built forms
and environments are ecologically fit and environ-
mentally friendly. Thus, the organizational role of
nature, be it as a determinant or as a modifier is
discernable in almost all vernacular settlements.
No vernacular built form challenges the nature and
natural forces. Although cultures have their own
way of dealing with the natural factors, so as to pro-
vide the appropriate habitat for their survival, the
end product in its entire whole is always in perfect
harmony with the environment.

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Ahmet Eyüce
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
Fig 1. Thick wall pattern in Hasankeyf, Turkey
This study is in the search of sustainable design
and planning paradigms that can also be utilized in
the recognition of ecolodges. It is based on the
premise that vernacular built form, specific to a
place/location and peculiar to a culture and
evolved under the circumstances imposed by pas-
sive environmental control systems, is ecologically
fit. Keeping in mind, the assertion made by
Margolin who states that: "There has been no fun-
damental re-invention of design practice in order to
play an active role in the culture of sustainability,
clear paths to new forms of practice do not exist.
One such path can be the acceptance of vernacu-
lar building traditions/not as a model but as a
source of knowledge to be interpreted in contem-
porary building practice." (Margolin 1998:83-92)
In this connection, the scope of the study consists of
the analysis of fundamental building features such
as: relations with the ground, morphological prop-
erties of the building mass, treatment of the build-
ing envelope and the roof. It is through these build-
ing features that the positive interaction with the
environment is achieved.
10
Fig 2. Unification of natural topography and
settlement pattern in Hasankeyf, Turkey
RELATIONS WITH THE GROUND
The discourse on ecologically fit built form and
environment has to begin with an overview of vari-
ous types of relations of vernacular buildings with
the ground, in that, it reflects on one hand the fun-
damental approach to the treatment of nature and
on the other how the daily life of a culture blends
itself with the natural environment.
Normally, a vast majority of buildings are firmly
attached, or at least give the impression of being
attached, to the ground with all their masses for the
practical purpose of stability. It is of vital impor-
tance for the dead and alive loads of buildings to
be transferred to the ground by means of the foun-
dations. In non skeletal wall bearing structures this
is achieved with the help of load bearing walls hav-
ing usually a considerable thickness which gives the
impression of a firm attachment. This goes some-
times to the extent of unification with the natural
topography as in the case in surface architectures
based on "thick wall pattern construction"
(Alexander 1968:605-610), the best examples of
which can be found in Cappadocia and Hasankeyf
in Turkey (Fig 1, 2). This type of creation of human
habitat is based on the concept of carving out
spaces from an existing mass, that is, from natural
topography itself. A further step in this line is the
production of totally underground settlements like
Derinkuyu and Kaymakli in Cappadocia, Turkey.
Although this is a very strong interference with
nature, what is above the ground remains freed of
all obstacles. Nevertheless, to what extent it can be
 Ahmet Eyüce
Fig 3. Houses built on stilts in Johor Baru,

open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
Malaysia.

admitted as a non-interference with nature is debat-

able. On the other hand, this type of approach of
relating buildings with nature, even if the reasons
may be quite different, makes full use of the heat
insulating potential of the Earth. It must be remem-
bered that food storage spaces in underground
floors are the coolest parts of houses.
In sharp contrast with the houses attached to the
ground with thick and heavy walls, in most of the
Fig 4. House built on stone stilts in Johor Baru,
South East Asian countries like Malaysia and
Malaysia.
Indonesia, houses are built elevated from the
ground on stilts (Fig.3, 4). Reasons for this include
avoiding floods, protection from wild animals and
reptiles, and provision of ventilation to cope with
extreme humidity of hot-humid tropical climate.
Although building on stilts is for practical purposes,
it must also be stated here that Malay tradition of
building is so sensitive to nature that their buildings
do not even touch the ground. In other words being

Fig 5. House built on stilts above the sea level in Fig 6. Typical Chinese shop house in
Kukup, Malaysia. Malaysia.
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Ahmet Eyüce
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
Fig 7. Chinese shop houses at street level in Johor
Baru, Malaysia.
elevated from the ground has also meanings
beyond the practical necessities. While Malay hous-
es of Malaysia, located amidst lush tropical foliage
do not even touch the ground, and despite the
presence of Chinese villages built above the water
(Fig.5), Chinese shop houses located in the city
centers of the same country are built at street level
(Fig.6, 7). In these houses the need for ventilation
Fig 9. Traditional Turkish houses built elevated from
the ground level in Kula,Turkey
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Fig 8. Traditional Turkish houses built elevated from
the ground level in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
so as to cope with humidity is fulfilled by means of
the courtyards located within the building mass.
This is the evidence of the fact that traditional cul-
tures subjected to the same environmental con-
straints develop their own ways of responses in
relating themselves to a place.
Traditional Turkish houses spread over an
extremely large geographical area, where Turkish
reign was in power, display an interesting feature as
far as its relations with the ground is concerned.
Seen from without the house is discerned as if it is
built elevated from the ground on thick stone walls
(Fig.8,9). In reality, one or two storey high solid
stone walls are only for covering the floors under-
neath the living quarters. The load of the living
quarters is transferred to the ground by timber
posts. It is also interesting to note that ground
floors out of stone and living quarters, out of timber
box frame construction, have different planimetrical
properties. It must also be mentioned here that all
traditional Turkish settlements are realized on slope,
flat land being reserved for agriculture.
Relation with the ground is a vital aspect of inter-

Fig 10. 'Kharja'- Terraces of traditional Hejaz houses
in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
action with nature; therefore it plays a major role in
the fulfillment of environmental requirements.
Recognized either as an underground settlement,
or erected as firmly attached to the ground, or ele-
vated from the ground on timber posts all of the
preceding types of building-ground relations have
their own ecological consequences as far as the
environmental requirements are concerned.
Nevertheless, time has proven that none of the ver-
nacular settlements is alien to its location.
BUILDING MASS
Geometrical properties of the building mass are the
determinants of not only the amount of building
surfaces exposed but also the type of exposure to
the natural/physical environment. This is simply an
outcome of the fact that the same amount of indoor
floor area may be obtained by a variety of bound-
ing surface areas. The most efficient being a build-
ing mass with a circular plan, in that, it provides the
maximum floor area with minimum amount of
bounding surface areas. This efficiency is increased
in spherical masses with domical roofs. Perhaps for
this reason a multitude of cultures developed their
indigenous shelter based on circular schemes. This
does not imply that the surface of exposure of build-
ing masses must definitely be minimized. On the
contrary, there are situations that for an ecological
propriety the surface of exposure is systematically
augmented so as to provide maximum amount of
natural ventilation. This is mostly an ecological
design approach resorted to by many cultures in
cases of extreme humidity.
Ahmet Eyüce
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
Fig 11. Void within the main body of a Hejaz house
in Medina, Saudi Arabia
An extroverted detached building mass will def-
initely have different environmental performance
compared to a courtyard house where all building
surfaces are introverted and oriented to a climati-
cally controlled courtyard. While most vernacular
houses consist of single building masses with sim-
ple geometrical properties. Flat-roofed Hejaz hous-
es have highly elaborate massing solutions with
open terraces at various levels. This is an outcome
of the massing solution as an assembly of prisms
with different heights. Above each prism an open
terrace surrounded by high walls is located. These
terraces, "locally called 'kharja', meaning at the out-
side, are private open spaces of the house, well
above the ground level and serve to accommodate
different activities" (Eyüce 1985:27) including
sleeping quarters (Fig. 10).
Moreover, the masses of the Hejaz house are
arranged in a way that they have elaborately
designed voids within the main body of the building
in order to accommodate passive cooling systems
evolved in the course of time as a building tradition
of the region (Fig. 11). The simplest of these voids
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Ahmet Eyüce
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
Fig 12. Ventilation window at the landing of a stair-
well in Hejaz, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
or air shafts is the stairwell of the house. It does not
only function as an element of vertical circulation
but in the meantime helps ameliorate air flow with-
in the house. It is built around a stone novel which
commonly measures 60x120cm. In relatively larg-
er houses it branches out in several directions to
reach different quarters of the house. Hejaz houses
are assemblies of several (at least two) prisms with
different heights. The void provided by the stairwell
has window openings, one at each landing (Fig.12,
13). Since the stairwell continues through the
whole height of the mass it functions as an excellent
air conductor. Here one should look at another
void within the building mass, which is common in
all cities of Hejaz, the 'manwar'. It is a simple shaft
with a square plan, it also admits a limited amount
of daylight but it primarily acts as an air shaft which
functions in unison with the stairwell.
In contrast to the simplicity of the 'manwar' of the
houses, 'qa'a' is an elaborated building element
with additional spatial functions. In other words it
is not merely an airshaft with an operable contrap-
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Fig 13. The air admitted from the stairwell circulates
inside the house through the fenced openings over
the doors in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
tion called 'gilla', at its termination surface, its base
functions as a sitting area. It can be assumed to be
an extension of the sitting area to the sky. The
"Qa'a' first appeared in Syria before the 15th cen-
tury; its integration into the plan of an Aleppine and
Damascene house corresponds to the 18th centu-
ry" (Fucs 1998:157-177). In Syrian town houses
single, double or triple Iwan qa'a existed. It consists
of a space, usually for receiving guests and sitting,
which is elevated from the ground, a reminiscent of
Mesopotamian 'mastaba'. The central space is
called 'durqua'a', sitting space is called 'muakkar'.
Qa'a may also be described as a partial realization
of an 'iwan' type plan of both Syrian and Cairene
houses. An important point is that a 'qa'a' is typo-
logically quite a different space compared to a
room (Fig. 14, 15). This is due to the fact that qa'a
as an indoor space possesses a vertical extension,
an upward exposure oriented to the sky. A 'qa'a' is
best understood from plan and section drawings, in
which its ecological validity is best expressed. An
'iwan' on the other hand is a space enclosed by

Fig 14. Plan of a house with qa'a & divan in
Medina / Saudi Arabia.
walls on three sides and completely open to the
front (Fucs 1998:157-177). All in all, the masses of
the houses of Heiaz, as far as ecological properties
are concerned, have morphological complexities
that can rarely be attained in contemporary houses
of the same region.
Relations between masses display some varia-
Fig 16. Attached Chinese shop houses at street level
in Johor Baru, Malaysia.
Ahmet Eyüce
Fig 15. Section through the qa'a.
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
tions emanating from the peculiarities of each city.
In Jeddah, situated on the Red Sea coast, where a
hot humid climate prevails over the year building
masses have more exposed surfaces so as to admit
maximum amount of wind coming from the Red
Sea. In Makkah and Madina, proximity to holy
places seems to prevail over ecological factors
where buildings have less exposed surfaces and
more shared walls. Nevertheless, buildings with
shared walls are also ecologically appropriate in
hot and dry Makkah. An interesting situation is seen
in Malaysia where vernacular Malay house, locat-
ed amidst lush tropical foliage have detached free
standing building masses raised on stilts, vernacu-
lar Chinese shop house in city centers are recog-
nized as attached buildings in rows. While the for-
mer has exposed surfaces on all sides, even from
below, the latter has two narrow facades, one look-
ing over the street in front (Fig. 16, 17).
Fig 17. Detached Malay house on stilts in Johor
Baru, Malaysia.
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Ahmet Eyüce
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
Fig 18. Building envelop of Hejaz houses clad with
wooden elements, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Small courtyards in rectangular plan organiza-
tions are the other important peculiarities of
Chinese houses by means of which the position of
daylight and house ventilation is achieved. This for-
mation is a concrete example of the fact that cul-
tures develop their own traditions of house form
and settlement patterns. Finally both the vernacu-
lar courtyard houses and courtyard house settle-
ment are worth mentioning simply because their
geometrical properties as building masses and set-
tlement patterns with shared/attached walls are in
harmony with the patterns of nature.
BUILDING ENVELOPE
Interaction of the indoor spaces with outdoors is a
complex phenomenon that involves both connec-
tions and separations, more often than not, in con-
tradiction with one another. The provision of ade-
quate daylight and that of desired level of heat
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Fig 19. Building envelop of Hejaz houses, Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia.
loss/heat gain are, very often, conflicting require-
ments. While the former necessitates a consider-
able opening size, the latter may impose restrictions
on window dimensions, like for instance the need
for the least possible exposure. Contradictions are
not limited to this but other numerous requirements
like desired level of privacy, admission of the maxi-
mum amount of wind for ventilation, and protection
of the indoors may all be in contradiction with each
other. The fundamental function of the building
envelope is, therefore, to provide the indoor spaces
with the appropriate means of enclosure while in
the meantime ensuring appropriate exposure to the
natural environment. Therefore, the shaping of the
building envelope, the largest surface area of a
building in interaction with the environment, is sup-
posed to resolve numerous conflicting require-
ments.
The two fundamental components of the build-
ing envelope are solids and voids, in building
terms, walls and windows. Besides the elements of

Fig 20. A typical house from Abha, Saudi Arabia.
enclosures and exposures, a third complementary
component of the building envelop is the semi-
solid, which is developed by many cultures in dif-
ferent parts of the globe with a variety of available
natural materials. Semi-solids are either solids with
holes on their surfaces or woven materials and lat-
tice works. Walls are produced out of a wide range
of building materials, ranging from earth and mud
brick to stone and fired brick. The two variables in
interaction with the environment are of crucial
importance; these are the size of the window open-
ing which determines the amount of exposure and
the wall thickness. Although wall surface treatments
like color and texture play an important role in eco-
logical terms, priority is always given to the insula-
tion performance of the wall.
In connection with the treatment of the building
envelope, the most sophisticated solutions are
found in vernacular houses of Hejaz. These hous-
es have thick stone walls distinguishably large win-
dow openings on their surfaces that are covered
with masterly handcrafted wooden components.
The wind in Hejaz is assumed to be a vital gift of
nature and harnessed for the ventilation of houses
in order to alleviate the unpleasant effects of
extreme heat and humidity which prevails through-
out the year. It is for this reason that vernacular
houses of Hejaz have unarguably large window
openings so as to admit maximum amount of air
flow. It is also discernable that window sizes gradu-
ally increase towards the upper floors. On the other
hand, large window openings, indispensable for
ventilation are far from being suitable if they are left
unprotected to fulfill the privacy requirements of the
Ahmet Eyüce
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
Fig 21. Additional layers of filter in building envelop
of Jeddah houses, Saudi Arabia.
indoors.
Functional requirements and conflicting design
priorities that go into the shaping process of win-
dows that is, openness on one hand and closure on
the other which provides the view of the outdoors
without being seen is fulfilled in Hejaz with the help
of masterly handcrafted wooden components clad
on window surfaces. These cladding components
which are locally called "rowshan"(plural rewashin)
or "mashrabiyah display a large array of design
solutions. It can be said that no two houses are the
same although they abide by same building tradi-
tion. Rewashin are multi-functional elements. They
have on their surfaces solid, semi-solid, open/void
and openable parts and in the absence of glass
sheets they function as air filters, daylight regula-
tors, visual connectors with the outdoors while act-
ing as visual barriers to the outdoors (Fig. 18, 19).
In the absence of wooden components window
openings would have been realized in very small
sizes as in the case in Abha houses (Fig. 20).
The most striking aspect of Hejaz building sur-
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Ahmet Eyüce
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
Fig 22. Building envelop with additional layer in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
face is an intermediary zone (a buffer zone)
between the indoors and outdoors. This zone is cre-
ated by the wall thickness and the wooden cladding
components. It can be assumed as a three dimen-
sional window. It is a layered envelope. In the later
years of the evolution process of these elements it is
noticed that the building envelope is supported with
additional layers (Fig. 21, 22). Quite dissimilar to
Hejaz the wall thicknesses in timber houses are lim-
ited. In the case of Malay houses it is sometimes
reduced to a very thin wood panel. An interesting
building envelope is found in traditional Turkish
houses where houses have two distinctly different
facades with two different performances namely the
outdoor street facade and the more openly orga-
nized interior facade looking over the courtyard
(Fig. 23, 24).
THE ROOF
The roof of the building is an interface between the
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Fig 23. Interior facade of a traditional Turkish house
looking over the court in Kula, Turkey
sky and the indoors. It is a surface or a combina-
tion of surfaces protecting not only the indoor
spaces but also the mass of the building and its
outer surfaces. The roof in its simplest form is a flat
surface widely used in vernacular buildings out of
earth and earthen materials like mud brick or palm
trunks. Roofs also accommodate several other
functions like circulation of people, living and
sleeping, food drying and etc.
Flat roofs, the genesis of which goes back to
7000 BC in Çatalhöyük in Turkey, have been the
roof type utilized by many cultures spread all
around the world (Fig. 25). Their presence is asso-
ciated with the simplicity in their construction and
absence of roof carpenters and know-how, very
strong winds, and their suitability for obtaining lay-
ers of snow. Most flat roofs are snow resistant. In
harsh winter times a reasonable snow thickness is
kept on the roof to provide heat insulation against
cold weather.
In Hejaz, flat roofs are locally called 'Kharjah'.
Although with the advent of new technologies and

Fig 24. Interior and exterior facades of a typical
Turkish house in Kula, Turkey
active cooling systems based on the utilization of
electric power they have lost their ecological mean-
ing. It is known that they are used to fulfill several
functions including as sleeping spaces during the
Hajj days in Makkah and Medinah. In other words
it is not wrong to state that the roofs of traditional
Hejaz houses are, in fact, the sky since it is clean &
clear with very limited amount of precipitation per
year (Fig. 26).
In addition to the above, flat roofs are also
widely utilized in courtyard houses. Last but not
least must be the ease in their recognition.
Although water resistance and earth compaction
require certain degree of expertise, the simplicity in
their construction is not comparable with the sim-
plest pitched roof which necessitates a considerable
amount of know-how.
Quite similar to flat roofs, the genesis of pitched
roofs also goes back to very early settlements. Early
houses with circular plans & succeeding oval plan
organizations dating back to 500 BC were all
pitched roof houses. This is associated with the
Ahmet Eyüce
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
Fig 25. Flat roofs in Mardin, Turkey
Fig 26. Flat roofs in Hejaz in Makkah, Saudi Arabia
ease in their recognition with circular plan types
based on the utilization of wood, bamboo and sim-
ilar natural materials.
From the ecological point of view the necessity
for a pitched roof emanates primarily from the need
of protection against rain water.
In vernacular houses with the large eaves, the
roof is the protector of almost all exposed surfaces
including the wooden joinery parts which are easi-
ly affected by water. The pitched roof traditions of
some regions have evolved to such an extent that
the roof of the house/building has prevailed over
the rest of the building. This is the case in most parts
of Europe where sometimes four out of five stories
are under the roof and also South East Asian coun-
tries where the house seems to have been consti-
tuted of the roof only (Fig. 27, 28, 29). Malay
houses evolved in various parts of Malaysia and
mostly the Javanese houses of Indonesia display an
incredibly rich and sophisticated tradition of roof
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Ahmet Eyüce

Fig 27. Pitched roof of a Malay house, a replica

realized in Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia. Fig 28. Roof types in traditional Malay houses.
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design

structures. "Javanese" do not classify buildings indoors and outdoors so as to prevent direct expo-
according to the plan or facade but according to sure of spaces to the natural environment.
five distinct roof shapes: 'pang gang pe', 'kampung', As it has been mentioned by Hubka, "the folk
'limasan', 'joglo', 'tajug'. The first four may be used design method is not a working model of form gen-
for dwelling structures. The last, tajug, can only be erations for modern times, nor is it an instant
used in a religious setting (Tjahjono 1989:213-
235). Among these roof and house types 'Pang
gang pe' serves only as a temporary structure, 'kam-
pung' is for the simplest houses, 'limasan' is an elab-
orate 'kampung', 'joglo' has a steep upper roof and
signifies nobility, 'tajug' is considered to be the per-
fect shape. The roof in "ecological design" and
"environmentally friendly" building tradition plays an
important role not only during the processes of
interaction with the natural environment but also to
help blend the building with its surroundings.

CONCLUSION

This study is neither formulated to preach the repli-

cation of the morphological vocabulary of vernac-
ular architecture so as to come up with an environ-
mentally sustainable and ecologically fit built form,
nor it aims at supporting a neo-vernacularist design
approach which, more often than not, resorts to
formal clichés derived from building traditions. A
fully air-conditioned house under the disguise of a
traditional building envelop is nonsense. For
instance, covering the facades of a contemporary
Hejaz house with wooden components just for the
sake of appearance is, by no means, learning from
vernacular. A relevant application of vernacular
know-how to a contemporary house can only be Fig 29. A typical two slope pitched roof in the vicini-
achieved by creating a buffer zone between the ty of Johov Baru / Malaysia.
20
panacea for the problems of contemporary design.
It does however offer a tough, thoroughly tested,
approached to design which has significant differ-
ence to contemporary methods."(Hubka 1979:27-
29)
Subjected to the same natural constraints of a
region, different cultures develop differing building
traditions which results in differing solutions of built
form each of which are equally responsive to nature
and also proved to be ecologically valid. The
source of differing building traditions and their evo-
lution in their own specific directions is fundamen-
tally the result of differing world views and modes of
production (Moore 2001:130-139).
This study is oriented to decipher the ecological
logic (eco-logic) behind the building traditions that
are in perfect harmony with nature, so as to derive
relevant design guidelines for the recognition of
eco-lodges. While doing so it addresses itself to the
analysis of fundamental building features acquired
by cultures during long periods of time and hand-
ed down from one generation to the other.
Fundamental building features like the 'relations
with the ground', 'geometrical properties of the
building envelop', 'treatment of the building envel-
op', 'shaping of the roof', cannot be taken up irre-
spective of ecological considerations.
The study of relations between the ground and
vernacular buildings reveals a variety of approach-
es to the utilization of earth's surface, each of which
is in line with the natural topography. Therefore fun-
damental clues can be derived from such a study
for the recognition of eco-lodges. Let alone the
large excavations aimed at altering the natural
landscape, vernacular settlements have always
endured in harmony with nature to the extent that
while some vernacular houses are built on the stilt,
some others are realized as totally underground
structures. This evolution is perfectly in line with an
"eco-centric logic which emphasizes the holism
implicit in ecology" (Guy & Farmer 2001:140-148)
in sharp contrast to the anthropocentric view of
nature according to which man is supposed to pos-
sess the supremacy to change environment for his
own benefit. This is best expressed in Aldo
Leopold's 'land ethic' which portrays "the earth not
as a commodity to be bought and sold but rather
as a community of which humans are an integral
part." (Leopold 1949: 223-224)
Morphological properties of building masses
Ahmet Eyüce
are of vital importance as far as the ecological fit is
concerned, in that, they determine not only the
amount of surface exposed to the environmental
forces but also the settlement pattern.
Morphological properties of building masses and
their interrelations with each other so as to form a
pattern of settlement are of vital importance, in that;
they directly determine the amount of surfaces
exposed to the environmental forces. For this rea-
son mass properties of vernacular buildings are
valuable sources of information for new design.
Especially building masses containing voids can
dictate interesting and appropriate design hints for
open house international Vol 32, No.4, December 2007 Learning from the Vernacular: Sustainable Planning and Design
ecolodges, in some parts of the world. On the other
hand, Design properties of the building envelop
plays an important role in the process of environ-
mental interaction.
Basic properties of the building envelop namely
the wall thickness, patterns of fenestrations and the
treatment of solid surfaces, materials, colors and
textures which play vital roles during the process of
interaction with the environment can provide
important design guidelines for new designs.
The genesis and evolution of roof types and
shapes cannot merely be reduced to environmental
factors. Cultural determinants are equally influential
in the shaping of the building termination surfaces.
Nevertheless, there exists no vernacular building
with an environmentally inappropriate roof system.
Therefore a vernacular roof shape/type, which in
some cases contains more than one slope, is a
sound model for an environmentally friendly
ecolodge.
This study goes against modern design, which
devalues place by introducing a "universal model
based on technological excellence"(Moore
2001:130-139) by displaying the richness of place
dependant building which in some cases present
more than one solution for the same place each of
which is equally ecologically responsive for the
same location. The co-existence of Malay and
Chinese solutions of built form is the best examples
in this connection.
Although it may seem to be outside the scope of
this study, an important point is the fact that in the
course of time vernacular built-form acquires sym-
bolic values most of which emanate from the eco-
logical fit. This may briefly be labeled as eco-sym-
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 bolization. The roof, for instance, is not only a
Ahmet Eyüce

building element to cope with the rain but also a

symbol of rain. While benefiting from the richness
of vernacular building, precautions must be taken
so as not to be remained limited with the symbolic
affinities of architecture. The forces acting on the
genesis of the architectural forms are more vital
than the forms themselves.

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ALEXANDER, C. 1968, Thick Wall Pattern, PP. 605-610.

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EYUCE, A. 1985, A Comparative Analysis of Solid Void

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Ahmed Eyüce
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