Housing through the Ages

Posted by Andree Iffrig Feb 27, 2009

For most of mankind’s history, house design has been executed by local homeowners, builders and masons. They used readily-available materials and simple technologies for shelter construction. Vernacular architecture is the term assigned to this type of building. It includes not only dwellings but barns and other workspaces.

Vernacular architecture is not restricted to buildings from the past. From the adobe house of the American southwest to the concrete-domed vaults of housing on the Greek isles, architecture-without-architects has been the norm.

The growth of cities and the advent of more sophisticated building technologies during the Industrial Revolution changed the vernacular paradigm. In the span of a century, domestic construction increased in scope and complexity. A growing middle class could afford larger houses in rapidly expanding cities; Catherine Beecher’s American Woman's Home is an example of this trend. By the end of the 19th century, suburban development was taking place in green belts around existing cities, and denser development of housing was occurring in urban areas.

The 20th century saw architects assuming a greater role in the design and building of domestic architecture, especially in large-scale urban development. Architectural history celebrates the achievements of architects of the Modern Movement, who created a new paradigm for multi-family house design, made famous by Le Corbusier’s Modular studies and infamous by public housing development, Pruitt Igoe.

In reaction to the perceived excesses and failures of Modernism, Christopher Alexander, architect and author of A Pattern Language, spent several years exploring vernacular design to understand its patterns for living and working. Alexander maintained residents are quite capable of designing and building their own homes, without recourse to a professional architect. His assertion irked design professionals. Ironically, his pattern studies, intended for a lay audience, are an essential part of any architect’s education.

A more recent critic of architectural education and practice is Cameron Sinclair, founder of Architecture for Humanity (AFH). AFH rebuilds the vernacular in areas hard hit by natural and manmade disasters; post-tsunami South East Asia and New Orleans are two locations. As Western architects watch their practices disappear during a severe economic downturn, some might consider re-immersing themselves in vernacular design as volunteers with AFH. It’s a way of redeeming the practice of architecture while housing those most in need of shelter.