African Vernacular Architecture
Documentation for Preservation
African Vernacular Architecture
Every place has it's own uniqueness... this is called "genius loci" a Greek term which means "the spirit of a place
— South Africa
African vernacular architecture is a topic that is not well reprsented on line. A majority of African's reside in rural areas and build and live in structures constructed with materials that are obtained locally. These structures use techniques that have been utilized for generations. It is an architecture that is both sustainable and beautiful.
Unfortunataly, a myth exists that African vernacular architecture is sub standard, temporary or for the poor. Part of the reason why these negative perspectices exist is peoples lack of knowledge of these structures.
This web page is an umbrella page that contains all the work that I have conducted in the field of African vernacular architecture. It includes live feeds of my blogs and tweets as well as Pinterest, Flickr, You Tube and others. There are links to my field research in Zambia, Malawi and Swaziland. My latest project is a data base, containing images from every African country.
The African Vernacular Architecture data base is the only on line source that has images from every African country.
The data base is growing with people submitting their own images of African vernacular architecture.
The Data Base
You can help!! If you have any images of African vernacular architecture... please submit. You will receive full credit.
Check out the following social media feeds.
Linked In
Join my network... it is 1,600+ contacts from Africa and around the world. It includes architects... professors... students... artists and many others.
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