Traditional Wisdom DOCUMENTING VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH TO ARCHITECTURE | Manalee Nanavati LA 64
The article while discussing various aspects of the process of documenting vernacular architecture, talks about how documentation can be used as a research tool.
The process of documentation has marked an important contribution in the field of 'learning'. Recording age-old knowledge has helped not only in conserving time-tested techniques and traditions but also in developing new ones that are contextually more appropriate. This is particularly applicable in the fields of folk or vernacular traditions, including architecture.
Emerged as a collective response to cultural, social, economic and ecological conditions, vernacular architecture is conceived as a legacy of indigenous wisdom. This legacy has often proved to be a valuable reference for new design developments; more so in the present context of climate change, uncontrolled resource consumption and challenges of cultural appropriation. Therefore, the documentation of vernacular architecture is ever more critical before it gets lost with time; nonetheless, to record the ethos of this architecture, it is essential that the documentation is carried out methodically.
