1. Climate
1.1. Asia 8 Climatic Belt
1.1.1. continental climates (cold winter)
1.1.1.1. yurts
1.1.1.2. cave dwelling
1.1.2. Montane
1.1.2.1. 3-4 storey building with stepped roof for sunlight, Himalayan mountain region
1.1.3. Maritime, Japan and Subtropical climates
1.1.3.1. Suzhou, white wall house
1.1.4. Monsoon Belt (hot & humid summer)
1.1.4.1. Long Bamboo house (linear plan arrangement), Singapore, Malaysia, South of Guangdong
1.1.4.2. indigenous material dry as roof
1.1.5. Courtyards
1.1.5.1. advantages: shaping of micro-climate (sunlight& wind control)
1.1.5.2. ubiquitous across different places and culture
1.2. Fengshui
1.3. Amos Rapoport: culture as predominant factor rather than climate?
1.3.1. adjust environment => suit themselves ( not design to adapt to the climate first)
1.3.1.1. cave dwellings, Shanxi, China
1.3.1.2. Malay located settlements near the coast
1.3.1.3. paper windows & doors in Japan
2. People, Culture & Vernacular
2.1. Culture & Tradition
2.1.1. what is culture
2.1.1.1. "Culture embodies the complexity of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social group. It includes not only arts and letters, but also modes of life, fundamental rights of people, their value systems, traditions and beliefs." ---The 1982 UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies in Mexico
2.1.2. vernacular is the window to understand culture
2.1.2.1. vernacular as 'material culture'
2.1.2.1.1. material => cope with problem => develop symbol & design => form lifestyles
2.1.2.2. what/ who(people's aspiration & desire)/ how (building technology passed generations by generations)
2.2. 3 levels of meaning
2.2.1. Low level: instrumental meaning
2.2.1.1. Jaisalmer India: Platform as place for daily activities
2.2.1.2. street market in India: a system of building, people and commerce protected from the harsh sun
2.2.1.3. transition space: platform in India, Front porch in the U.S.
2.2.1.4. Ancestor Hall in Pin Shan Village: middle hall for receive guest and meeting...
2.2.2. middle level: convey the identity of community and individual residents
2.2.2.1. Laos: shop house, facade gains its characteristics from daily life pattern
2.2.2.2. Kyoto, Nishijin, family weaver workshop
2.2.2.3. add of modern equipment: satellite dish, air conditioner etc. represent the modern life pattern
2.2.2.4. Plaques in Yuan Long
2.2.3. High level: belief, spirit, cosmology
2.2.3.1. China, Korean, Japan: compass to determine orientation of building
2.2.3.2. India, Udaipur: local community shrine to the earth god/ religious building within the community
2.2.3.3. Chinese: dimension to achieve harmony with nature
3. What is Vernacular?
3.1. definition
3.2. threats
3.3. different lens to look at vernacular
3.3.1. Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World Paul Oliver
4. Material
4.1. Construction
4.1.1. choose material
4.1.2. transportation
4.1.3. preparation
4.1.4. assembly
4.2. Type of materials
4.2.1. nature: mud, bamboo, wood
4.2.2. manufactured: glass/tin sheet/corrugated metal sheet ....
4.3. Dimension
4.3.1. human scale
4.3.1.1. e.g: foot, bu (pace), zhou (cubit), span, finger, thumb
4.4. Ritual & Ceremony
4.4.1. Rituals of auspicious day / construction process / completion /occupation of the owner
4.4.1.1. e.g:Laos: tree prayer Hong Kong: roast pig to the construction deity Indonesia: Buffalo horns connect human, earth and haven China/ Korea/ Japan: Ancestor Altar in the rear section of the house Chinese Feng Shui: “Qi” decided by compass Luopan (orientation and location, landscape setting) Village settlement often include assemblage of other type of building: school/ earth god shrine…
4.5. ? Modernization of Vernacular Architecture
5. Landscape
5.1. landscape
5.1.1. man-made/cultural
5.1.2. natural
5.1.3. relationship between nature & man-made
5.1.3.1. Java, Merapi
5.2. vernacular landscape
5.2.1. Melnick: "These ordinary, or vernacular landscapes, which generally evolve unintentionally and represent multiple layers of time and cultural activity, are fundamental to our very existence."
5.2.2. types
5.2.2.1. transformartion: private property & public space
5.2.2.1.1. city
5.2.2.1.2. rural
5.2.2.1.3. suburban
5.3. sense of place (genius loci)
5.3.1. "landmarks to reassure us that we are not rootless individuals without identity or place, but are part of a larger scheme.
5.3.2. timeless & transformation
5.3.2.1. H.K., Graham Street Market (from Cantonese cuisine to Westernize )
5.3.2.1.1. ?surviving the tradition with renewal in urbanized modernized city(when the social context change)
5.3.2.2. Macau, Lilau Square
5.3.2.3. Piazza del Campo, Siena/ Palazzo della Ragione, Padua
5.3.3. different perspectives & multiple reading of place
5.3.3.1. Individual & personal experience / collective
5.3.3.1.1. occupy central & very dvrc
5.3.3.2. Large scale & subtle spots
5.4. Transformation & change
5.4.1. Shating: urbanization
5.4.2. Colonial as vernacular?
5.4.2.1. Kowloon Tong v.s. 石郏尾, colonial planing/ test ground for garden city
5.4.3. Evolution / Revolution
6. Rural vernacular
6.1. setting & settlements
6.1.1. setting
6.1.1.1. production from in landscape
6.1.1.1.1. Shirakawa-gō (白川郷) mulberry
6.2. social economic and cultural systems as foundation
6.2.1. Diaolou (Financial Resource: San Francisco, Melbourne, Local context)
6.2.2. connection to family/lineage
6.3. connected with the spiritual and cosmic realms
6.4. un-self-conscious
6.4.1. The timeless, or the eternal quality, is generated from the ways in which care and attention of the owner and the builders have been put into the production of buildings <the Timeless Way of Building>
6.5. Questions in Class
6.5.1. Nepal’s caste system has impact on building form => preserve variety & VA Intervene tradition? take things out of context? / obsolete v.s. modernity
6.5.2. Tulou: preserve v.s. convenience => design to fulfill extension & facility ( converse with context, why & how )
7. Process & Product
7.1. Self-conscious & self-unconcious
7.1.1. Evolve
8. Urban vernacular
8.1. Culture Layering, William Logan
8.2. as cultural milieu
8.2.1. economic
8.2.1.1. production related
8.2.1.2. diaspora
8.2.2. building diversity, flexibilty & people inventiveness
8.2.2.1. multiplicity purpose of daily use
8.2.2.1.1. ex: Porttinger Street, HK (Stone Slab Street)
8.2.3. public & private
8.2.3.1. Java market Pavillion
8.2.4. culture and city influenced each other (for the people/ tourism orientated for the real estate)
8.3. place of buildings
8.3.1. social & economic structure/ regulation/ density of cultural layer
8.3.1.1. Kyoto: grid
8.3.1.2. Tokyo
8.3.1.2.1. Tadao Ando's Long House
8.3.2. microcosm of universe
8.3.2.1. Tokyo: emperor centered/ Beijing / Hue / Da Lat
8.4. types
8.4.1. activity related
8.4.1.1. Japan: Machiya/ townhouse
8.4.1.1.1. informality of passage & formality of into house
8.4.1.2. North America, Australia: bungalow, U.K.
8.4.1.3. Asian shop house
8.4.1.4. Nepal, Kathmandu Valley, Urban houses
8.5. threaten
8.5.1. V.A. v.s. plot ratio
9. Informal Settlement
9.1. Types
9.2. Values
9.2.1. characteristics
9.2.1.1. commonly understood material and patterns
9.2.1.2. piecemeal fashion
9.2.1.3. complex culture of material supply and expertise
9.2.1.4. organized economy
9.3. Shadow economy
9.3.1. e.g. Dharavi, India
9.3.1.1. Steady labor
9.3.2. e.g. Dhobi Ghat, organized laundry industry
9.3.3. housing supply
9.4. Improvements
9.4.1. Illegal
9.4.1.1. ownership => eviction/ destruction
9.4.2. Government: accept, improve and support the evolution
9.4.2.1. Latin America
9.4.2.2. government intervention or not? pros & cons?
9.4.2.2.1. positive
9.4.2.2.2. active
9.4.2.2.3. ignore
9.4.3. Government clearance
9.4.3.1. Africa
9.4.4. Local organization support
9.5. the Clan Jetty in Georgetown, Penang
9.6. examples in Hong Kong
9.6.1. Kowloon Walled City
9.6.1.1. worth to preserve?
9.6.1.1.1. economic factors
9.6.1.1.2. considerations: fire emergency, ambulance
9.6.1.2. background: political reason, Jurisdiction change => city regulation doesn't apply (building regulation/ water&electricity supply/ fire)
9.6.1.2.1. <City of Darkness>
9.6.2. pocket space gentrification by developers
9.6.2.1. Haver Street
9.6.2.2. Jupiter Street
9.6.3. Pok Fu Lam Village
9.6.3.1. history & layer
9.6.3.2. relationship with other existing context
9.6.3.3. how to preserve?
10. Conservation
10.1. historical monument preservation : historical values
10.2. vernacular architecture conservation: cultural significance and values
10.2.1. valure?
10.2.1.1. aethestic
10.2.1.2. architecture: characteristic
10.2.1.3. historic
10.2.1.4. social: memory/feeling/awareness
10.2.1.5. tangible/intangible
10.2.2. authentic
10.2.2.1. manufactured heritage/consumed tradition
10.2.2.1.1. fake authenticity: Las Vegas/ Mexico Adobe House
10.2.2.1.2. Vernacular & Indigenous
10.2.3. conservation is art of controlling of change
10.3. culture sustainability
10.3.1. "We play the role as custodians of our cultural heritage, such that its significance is retained and its future is made secure.”
11. Future
11.1. Trandition & Modernity
11.1.1. Time & Space Continuous: process / product
11.1.1.1. Tea House Culture in HK (essence) 饮茶文化
11.1.2. homogeneity
11.1.2.1. Kwong Yuan Estate