Vernacular Architecture Reconciling with the past

Sustainability has often been a fundamental part of the composition of both tangible and intangible cultural resources; sustainability and preservation of cultural identity are complementary. Elements of sustainable design are integral to vernacular architecture that have evolved over time using local materials and technology emerging from ambient natural and cultural environment creating optimum relationships between people and their places

Over time the humans adapted to the ambient environment and every place and region develops a unique characteristic that distinguishes it from other places and that is the core of “identity.”

Preserving the identity and special characteristics of a place requires in-depth understanding of the natural systems of the place and immersion into the time-tested cultural responses to that environment’s assets and liabilities, which contain the essence of sustainability. Since sustainability is inherent to vernacular practices, it is essential to rediscover and reimagine these learnings and adapt them to the modern day context. The core values of frugality, climate responsiveness and cultural appropriation hold the key to preserving and sustaining environs for the future.

This session brings together domain experts who have reinterpreted vernacular architecture to create contextual solutions in the current built environment.