Traditional Architecture Vs Modern Architecture

The folllowing sample essay on Traditional Architecture Vs Modern Architecture discusses it in detail, offering basic facts and pros and cons associated with it. To read the essay’s introduction, body and conclusion, scroll down.

It has two main purposes which are to fulfill humans needs, sensory, delight and to capture the greatest achievement of man at a time as evidence for true generations. Joseph and John, 1860) Moving on to Traditional Architecture alternatively known as Vernacular Architecture is a term used to categorize a method of construction which uses immediately available resources to address immediate needs.

The term is derived from the Latin word “vernacular” which means native therefore, refers to all Architecture which Is indigenous to a specific place I. Not Imported or copied from somewhere else.

This represents the majority of historical construction and much continuing practice In developing countries characterized by Inexpensive materials and straight forwardly utilitarian sign, may though be adopted into culturally accepted solutions and through repetition becomes traditional.

These buildings were built without the intervention of any professional Architects; it is always referred to as “anonymous architecture” or “Architecture without Architects” and even “non – pedigree” architecture.

Why is vernacular or traditional architecture so important? This is because it has a lot of advantages; Regional design adapts a house to perform well and endure in its particular location by designing for climate, micrometer, considering regional Vernacular Architecture, planning to withstand extreme events e. Storm, earthquakes etc. It must also conform to local building codes. Typically, traditional architecture means building houses for their specific regions, designing a house for Its region Is Important, yet often overlooked aspect of design to gain sustainability.

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Types Of Traditional Architecture

Designing for a region on the other hand which Is one of the main concepts of vernacular, means suiting a house’s form and materials to the daily climate and conditions of its location and it also involves consideration of severe weather events and natural disasters that are apt to strike a particular site and also designing homes pacifically for their regions helps homes to be energy-efficient, durable, and comfortable for their occupants.

However, suiting a house to its climate involves many aspects of the design process, ranging from how the house is oriented on the site, to the room layout, to the choice of windows, insulation, and roofing material. A house must be suited to the terrain (land), soils, and orientation of its particular site. All of these considerations affect the house’s salability for renewable energy systems, Its thermal efficiency, and the eventual comfort and expense the occupants will experience In operating the house.

Withstanding extreme events; the durability of a house as a whole. And the materials used in its construction, also is determined appropriate for homes that are exposed to extreme moisture than for homes built in the desert. Similarly, design, materials, and installation procedures can help enhance the longevity of houses built in hurricane zones, flood plain, or areas subject to wild fire. (Dry. Merest. 010 ) Over time, different regions of the country have developed some distinctive housing styles, often these styles evolved from the materials that were available locally, and in response to regional climatic designs. As mechanical heating and cooling systems became more efficient, the need to use specific design elements to provide building comfort declined. At a minimum, houses should conform to local building codes, energy codes, and natural disasters.

However, going the extra step and creating houses that are truly suited to their climate and their particular site means that these houses will be more durable, comfortable, and sustainable over time. Building in a regional vernacular style can not only create a house that performs well in the local climate, but also one that fits within an existing neighborhood and community. Matching the style of existing homes helps to maintain a sense of cultural heritage in a region or town, connects new developments with the community, and helps preserve the property values of older homes.

Sustainability as the core concept of the vernacular has a few objectives which include the long-term objective of sustainable design to minimize resource degradation and consumption on a global scale and to achieve this, environmental awareness must be heightened. As long as sustainability can be achieved, occupants feel relaxed in their homes and these homes last for a very long time due to the trials being used but if this is not achieved, the result will be Sick building Syndrome (sobs).

Sick building syndrome (sobs) – A situation in which occupants off building experience acute health effects that seem to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified but Frequently, problems result when a building is operated or maintained in a manner that is inconsistent with its original design or prescribed operating procedures Sometimes indoor air problems are a result of poor building design or occupant activities.

This is what appends when we do not build according to the building codes or rationality of that area. Symptoms of the sobs include the fact that building occupants complain of acute discomfort, most of the complainants feel relief soon after leaving the building, headaches, throat irritation, and itchy skins amongst others. Its causes range from inadequate ventilation to biological contaminants though the core reason is that these buildings were not designed conforming to local building codes of that particular area.

A temporary solution to Sick Building Syndrome (sobs) usually includes increasing the ventilation rates and air distribution in the structure, removing of pollutant sources, air cleaning and communication and education of the general public. (Series and Kathleen. 1990) Green Architecture is the result of merging traditional or vernacular with modern technology and it is a sensitive approach to the environment and a unique balance between the modern and the vernacular.

Low cost housing with the notion to challenge high density living, creating communities with shared streets, in harmony with nature and using land more efficiently. This type of Architecture requires the Architect to incorporate vernacular design tragedies into building and these building principles includes touching the earth Mercury). An Architecture that connects the indoor to the outdoor, responds to climate and the local setting and a non-constant architecture that responds to the morning, the evening, the season, the heat, the cold, the sun, the rain, the moment that will never pass again. It’s not easy being green. ” (Kermit the Frog, 1972).

Green Building Materials are composed of renewable, rather than nonrenewable resources. Green materials are environmentally responsible because impacts are considered ever the life of the product like bamboo and straw, lumber from forests certified to be sustainable managed and it reduces use of non-renewable resources, minimizes environmental impact, limit waste production, and manage energy utilization.

The setting which is carefully preserved and changed with extreme sensitivity never forgets that it will have to be passed on to future generations. This attitude explains for example, why agricultural land has had the same use for a long time, has not witnessed invasion for purposes other than the purpose of farming as agriculture is the guarantee of people’s survival. (Clerically. 10)

The search for sustainable architectural and urban models is the environmentalist’s latest concern as think of it as the impact of urban and metropolitan area on the environment and regions is the main factor for a sustainable environment, therefore, an unsustainable city model will definitely result in an unsustainable environment and not only in the city but also in its surroundings and in the region regardless of the distance between the city and the regions boundaries.

In the past, the economy was on a smaller scale and so the city was built on a smaller, more human scale but now, high-rises tower over the city, Heraclites the wealth and power of the corporation that finances them. Secondly, they symbolize a society drawn towards sensationalism and novelty where the media rush to cover anything that is new and different. People are always astonished at how innovative and cutting edge these buildings are but they never tried to ask whether these buildings will make cities more livable or more humane.

The sad part is that these types of built mistakes last for decades and affects lives for a long period of time, as a result of experimentation and novelty, thousands of families are doomed to eve for years in horrible buildings and neighborhood as residents of these buildings are glued to irrevocable dissatisfaction. Favorer and Jose. 2004) Traditional or Vernacular Architecture can co-exist; some say that these two types of Architectures are totally different while some others say Modern Architecture is the continuation of Traditional Architecture.