Influence of Human Surroundings on Buildings - Essay Example

Sometimes referred to as “architecture without architects,” it is the most comprehensively used style of building used throughout the world today. It is building how we feel in relation to what is around us on many levels (Arboleda 2006). Vernacular architecture is how we define ourselves according to the rest of the world, or maybe within just a regional area. Much that is considered vernacular is without specific design except for areas that are considered foundational to the piece and are required for strengthening the project we build.

Over time, buildings such as these, when created through trial and error in first processes, become perfected and then reflect the style of the society or environment within which we reside. Rather than pursuing the aesthetic quality or some egotistical vision of a particular artist/architect, the vernacular building is more about accomplishing the factors of function and ecological assimilation and also providing the comfort of living at the same time. It is a stamp of our lives at any given moment (Ladd 2003).

When building vernacular projects, local materials are used as well as local workers and this also provides for us a sense of the place has grown from the ‘roots’ of our local social environment and by our own hands. The vernacular building can also be representative of our local observances such as a favorite church and its flock of worshipers. It provides for us a continuing reminder of our religion through how it is built, according to our belief structure. Craftsmen in our past, who utilized functional skills in preparing materials and in the creation of infrastructure, provided foremost, a functional, well-built building, created to withstand much of nature’s harsh storms and other events that would hit our lands from time to time (Ladd 2003).

In America, log cabins are considered to be the early American vernacular style, consistent with the early settlers who built their homes using the trees around them. Today’s pre-packaged version in whatever wood choice you want represents that stereo-typed tradition of the early days without the hassle of having to cut down the trees yourself. While the vernacular building was representative of times gone by, including historical references, today’s version is more about sustainability, technological advances in building processes, and referencing the social and natural environment around the location (Arboleda 2006).

Our apartment buildings are a type of vernacular building in that they are built, not necessarily with a particular style, but to suit the basic needs of any of us renting an apartment there. The basics include the main room, bedroom(s), bathroom(s) and kitchen. In some cases, specifically-intentioned dining rooms are also included in those costing a little more. (Ladd 2003). Indeed, a lesson can also be taken from the Inuit people who knew how to build homes wherever they landed for a while, using compacted snow to create igloos.