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Modern Design Meets Traditional Forms
Contemporary Vernacular: Melding Today's Comforts With Indigenous Design
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor of Architecture and Master in Urban Planning degrees, and over ten years experience in architectural practice, split between Chicago and NYC. Currently I'm focused on writing and online pursuits. My daily blog can be found at http://archidose.blogspot.com
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City.... More »
The handy Penguin Dictionary of Architecture defines vernacular architecture as "buildings in indigenous styles constructed from locally available materials following traditional building practice and patterns." Architecture historian Paul Oliver, who specializes in vernacular architecture, further contends that anything designed by an architect is outside "the compass of the vernacular."
Yet architects, starting last century, have been inspired by vernacular architecture, in terms of both form (its lack of frivolous ornamentation appealed to early modern architects wanting to abandon neoclassical architecture) and sustainability (many current practitioners contend that designing with the vernacular as a guide leads to responsible green buildings).
When architects are inspired by vernacular architecture, especially in terms of houses, the difference between the contemporary and the vernacular can be sharp or blurred. In most cases, it results in a hybrid condition that provides modern comforts within traditional forms.
What follows are examples that can be seen as a contemporary vernacular style. They are quite varied as a group, because they relate to local conditions rather than national or international trends.
Yet architects, starting last century, have been inspired by vernacular architecture, in terms of both form (its lack of frivolous ornamentation appealed to early modern architects wanting to abandon neoclassical architecture) and sustainability (many current practitioners contend that designing with the vernacular as a guide leads to responsible green buildings).
When architects are inspired by vernacular architecture, especially in terms of houses, the difference between the contemporary and the vernacular can be sharp or blurred. In most cases, it results in a hybrid condition that provides modern comforts within traditional forms.
What follows are examples that can be seen as a contemporary vernacular style. They are quite varied as a group, because they relate to local conditions rather than national or international trends.
| In some cases preservation codes direct new architecture towards vernacular forms. This indoor pool in Southern England is an addition to a residence that is a Grade 2 Listed Building. This designation comprises most of the protected buildings in the UK (about a half million of them) and means extensions require permission from the local planning authority. Architect Kathryn Findlay opted for a glassy extension capped by a thatch roof. |
Glass and thatch may not seem to go together, but as can be seen in the previous photo, the combination of the large overhanging roof and native grasses below minimizes the extent of the new glass wall that is visible. This gives the thatch roof a prominence and allows the addition to, as the architect contends, "sit comfortably [in] the surrounding countryside."
Ironically, Findlay says the roof plantings are an adaptation of an ancient Japanese planting method — appropriate for an architect who used to work in that country — pointing to the globalization of the vernacular.
Ironically, Findlay says the roof plantings are an adaptation of an ancient Japanese planting method — appropriate for an architect who used to work in that country — pointing to the globalization of the vernacular.
| Inside the pool house, the thatch roof is sensed in the large overhang through the glass wall, but it is the curved ceiling that draws the attention. Look up ... |
The peak of the roof — what looked to be tall grasses in the first photo — is actually a skylight that runs most of the length of the pool. This is clearly a contemporary element in the vernacular composition.
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This country retreat designed by CCS Architecture is split into two components: a main house covered in reclaimed barn wood and a barn clad with Corten steel.
The main house, visible here, is split into two overlapping pieces: a living building and sleeping building. Their collision is like a surrealistic Western town.
The main house, visible here, is split into two overlapping pieces: a living building and sleeping building. Their collision is like a surrealistic Western town.
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Much of the project's vernacular appearance stems from the barn wood and the corrugated Corten steel roofing. Appropriately, the architects opted for forms that work well with these materials. This view of the living building shows that exterior wall openings follow the interior spaces; instead of punched openings we see sliding doors that open the living/dining area to the exterior. From inside ...
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... It's easy to see why architects cut a large opening in the exterior wall: The view is amazing. Outside the building is rustic (and rusty!) but inside it is clean, smooth and comfortable; a contemporary core to a vernacular wrapper.
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| This house in Spring Hill, Mississippi by architects John Beard and Dale Riser — featured in my ideabook on corrugated panels — echoes the rural vernacular with its inexpensive materials and response to climate, considerations that create the strong formal statement, not the other way around. |
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| As can be seen on the right, the turn-down of the roof shades the interior while allowing breezes to move from low to high out the top of the wall, cooling the interior. Corrugated fiberglass, metal, and wood prevail atop concrete slabs. Inside the materials are unadorned, unlike the strong colors outside. |
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by Workshop/apd
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| Moving northward to Connecticut, this house, termed "Four Gables" by the architects at workshop/apd, "appears discreet and unassuming from the road, yet somehow different from the other residences in this secluded private community." Part of the difference is evident in the bottom-left corner, where horizontal wood slats and a flat roof stand out slightly from the wood shingles on the gable ends. |
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by Workshop/apd
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| This low volume is activated by square windows that are cut into the wood slats, some of which are actually behind the slats. While quite unique and very contemporary, the wood slats allow this piece to fit with the rest of the project, which itself has an unassuming quality with minimal decoration at the windows and the roof lines. |
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| This residence in Washington state has, according to architect David Vandervort, "the small scale, informal, cottage legacy of ... an existing small cabin [that] had occupied the site for years and held many fond memories for the homeowners." Informality arises from the trellises and the dormers that dramatically project from the roofline. |
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| Further, Vandervort tried to give the impression the residence evolved over a number of years by composing the 3,200-square-foot house from four gabled pavilions. This created an intimate outdoor space people can go through to move between buildings. The tree-trunk posts supporting the trellises certainly scream vernacular, in opposition to the standing-seam roofing. |
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Inside, beams of reclaimed wood stand out from the walls, ceiling and flooring milled from windfall site trees. The two synthesize into a contemporary-vernacular open space lit overhead from the dormers.
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Similar to the four pavilions of the previous residence are these four buildings also in Washington that are actually separate residences, what Rhodes Architecture + Light call "an alternative to the 'Street of Dreams'." The form and materials — even down to the gabions in the foreground, a fairly industrial construction — appear vernacular.
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But the addition of sunshading trellises on some of the elevations points to the role of the architect in creating some green buildings that respond to site and climate.
The integration of the fireplace into the exterior wall as well as inside...
The integration of the fireplace into the exterior wall as well as inside...
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... Is another touch surely generated by an architect. The open space with simple detailing is reinforced by tie rods that span the space, an alternative to the wood beams of the previous example.
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by Phillips Garden
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| This last project consists of a couple parts attributed to Geoff Warner of Alchemy Architects, who renovated an early 20th-century bungalow in St. Paul, Minn. for him and his family. First is a piece on the existing house that is visible through the gate from the rear alley. The blue paint of the second floor signals that it is new (or reconfigured), while its design is otherwise in keeping with the original.
But what is between the gate and the house? |
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by Phillips Garden
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| Warner tore down the original garage and built two twin garages. Their forms are simple gable boxes with siding, standing-seam roofs, and small squarish openings. But that blue paint really accentuates their newness, making them abstract designs of vernacular architecture.
Next: 7 Striking Contemporary Additions More architectural inspiration |
Ideabook updated on July 25, 2011.
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Very enlightening.