Vernacular Buildings

Constancy permits the evolution of types and characteristics to be identified, even in widely spread locations. It helps trace the origins of structures, despite later modifications. And change allows one to trace the effects of difference in environment, fashion, cultural ideas and economic influences. Change and constancy operate together, although one may or other may dominate at a particular time and place. In Vernacular Buildings Allen Noble extends the global survey contained in his earlier highly successful Traditional Buildings, to cover vernacular buildings and dwellings around the world. In a truly comprehensive account, he ranges from the fazenda of the pioneer Brazilian settlers, the Masai dwellings of Tanzania and the gothic houses of Shanghai, to Virginia Hall and Parlor houses, the thatched dwellings of the Eifel region of Germany and the three -decker houses of New York. Acknowledging the value of archival research the author is also firmly convinced of the importance of field observation and the book is extensively illustrated with photographs from his own personal collection.
With a comprehensive bibliography, and incorporating new material from cultural geographers, historians, folklorists and anthropologists, Vernacular Buildings is a unique survey that will be welcomed by specialists and enthusiasts alike.

Auteur

Allen G. Noble is Distinguished Emeritus Professor at the University of Akron, Ohio, USA, where he was formerly Professor of Geography and Planning. His books include Wood, Brick and Stone: the North American Settlement Landscape (1984), nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, Barns of the Midwest (with H. G. Wilhelm, 1995), and Traditional Buildings: A Global Survey of Structural Forms and Cultural Functions (I.B.Tauris, 2007)

Contenu

Contents
List of Figures vii
Acknowledgements xiii

1 Introduction: Terminology and Disciplines 1
2 Function and Form, I 12
3 Function and Form, II 23
4 Floor Plans 32
5 Dwelling Sizes, Space Organisation and Elevation 44
6 Site and Location 55
7 Orientation 64
8 Building Materials and Construction Methods: Mud, Sod,
Turf, Tabby 71
9 Building Materials and Construction Methods: Brick,
Stone, Snow 78
10 Building Materials and Construction Methods: Vegetative
Materials, I 86
11 Building Materials and Construction Methods: Vegetative
Materials, II 95
12 Above-ground Structures 104
13 Excavated Structures 112
14 Roof coverings and Dung Floors 122
15 Roof Coverings of Stone, Tile and Brick 130
16 The Effects of Climate and Seasonal Change 138
17 Threats: Man-made 146
18 Threats: Fire, Wind, Earthquake and Other Natural
Hazards 160
19 Openings: Doors 168
20 Openings: Windows 176
21 Seasonal Temperatures, Heating, Smoke and Summer
Kitchens 186
22 Conserving Heat, Cooling and Ventilation 196
23 Ceremony, Spirit and Devil Houses, Feng Shui 204
24 Decoration, the Evil Eve, Brick Patterns 216
25 Communal Dwellings, Communal and Non-Communal
Religious Groups 224
26 Seasonal Shelters, Transhumance, Prefabricated Structures 234
27 Constancy, Open-air Museums
28 Change, Cultural Baggage and Borrowing, the Future 251

References Cited 259
Index 333