Journal of Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism

The Gardener-Architect

Mohamad Hamouié, Karim Hamouié, Nour Hamouié — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

The spiritual essence and symbolic significance of gardens of paradise (i.e. formal Islamic gardens) have often been overshadowed by modern observations focusing on their physical attributes. But these gardens are not merely earthly landscapes but profound reflections of the divine. Drawing upon Plato's theory of forms, we find that our world is filled with symbols, and human interactions reflect what our souls once comprehended in a previous existence. Gardens, with their unmistakable spiritual nature, are tangible reminders and impressions of paradise on earth. This article considers the garden’s symbolic significance across all major monotheistic religions, and the garden as the original sanctuary, from the time God created humankind. It recalls the earliest recorded imitations of paradise from the era of Cyrus the Great and examines the various iterations of paradise gardens through the age of Islam, all of which seek to manifest the promised paradise recurrently mentioned in the Quran. These gardens hold the key to unveiling deeper spiritual truths and serve as a bridge between the visible and invisible realms.

Hands-on Training Through the Ambulance for Monuments Project

Veronica Vaida, Eugen Vaida, Andreea Napradean — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

In a race against time, the “Ambulance for Monuments” project is seeking the salvation from collapse or irredeemable decay of hundreds of endangered built-heritage treasures in Romania. One of the initiative’s main aims is informal education for young professionals through hands-on training. This is a kind of education which is lacking not just in Romania but in many Eastern European countries. Most of the volunteers are students and young practitioners from the fields of architecture, restoration, urban planning, engineering, archaeology, history, cultural tourism, etc., seeking to expand their knowledge and soft skills, acquiring competencies and meta-competencies while participating in a large interdisciplinary project.

Maintaining a Complex Building Culture: The Precarious State of Heritage Crafts in the United States

Stephen Hartley — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

This article examines the current shortage of heritage craft workers in the United States and how the nation has reached the current situation of crisis. It considers the complexity of America’s building tradition and the role that immigration has played in the shaping of its built heritage. Through those immigrant traditions, it studies the desire for assimilation into American life through successive generations transitioning away from building craft. It concludes by exploring the current issues facing the heritage craft industries, the initiatives being undertaken to address these concerns, and the need to expand such practices.

The Unknown Masons

M. Hosam Jiroudy — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

My traditional practice has taken me to many cities and through a variety of building experiences in the Arab world, three of which I wish to share. One in Syria, and two in Saudi Arabia. I will briefly present the materials, the methods, and the people who worked on them. Even though one builder had no previous experience of load-bearing work and the others had little, after some training and once stretched beyond what they were used to, they demonstrated ability and grit beyond expectations. For as soon as they realized what was required, they all gradually became capable masons, making them the heroes of this story.

In Search of “Architectures without Architects”: Crossing West and North Africa in 1978

Samir Nicolas Saddi — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

In 1978, as a young architect with a keen interest in photography, I embarked on a journey of more than three months by car that took me from the Ivory Coast to Morocco. With the aim of rediscovering cultures and traditional architecture in the Sahel and North Africa, this experience raised important questions: how did entire peoples manage to live in harmony with nature before culture was technologized? What lessons can we learn from the way traditional settlements were formed over generations with minimal impact on ecosystems? What design concepts should architects employ to make buildings consume less energy and resources? In short, how can architecture become sustainable?

Chiang Mai Workshop in Traditional Architecture and Urbanism

Lucien Steil — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

This workshop was initiated by the Thai architects Ong-ard Satrabhandhu and Purisa Nimmanahaeminda and brought together some 30 students from Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University with their professors Pirast Pacharaswate and Sayanee Virochrut. A three-day workshop, with an educational charrette on traditional architecture and urbanism, was led by Professor Lucien Steil from the University of Notre Dame. Besides investigating and practicing the toolkit of the legendary Beaux-Arts pedagogy, consisting of in-situ urban and architectural sketching, observational and gesture drawings, the use of analytique, the production of an esquisse, etc., the participants learned about capriccio drawings as well as experimenting with pastel and charcoal on tone paper. The workshop offered a comprehensive immersion into the work of Ong-ard Architects, the oeuvre of which was the background and inspiration for a rewarding didactic adventure.

Sunday Afternoon: Reflections on Dispersed Traditional Architecture

Jorge Moya Muñoz, Alberto Atanasio Guisado — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

This article is a reflection around one of the heritage assets with most influence in the construction of a people’s identity, namely traditional architecture. We focus on dispersed traditional architecture, given its evident vulnerability as opposed to that located within towns. Thus we consider the possibility of its being regarded as territorial heritage in view of a collective and perennial problem: the way it is perceived socially and the indolent approach toward it by the authorities. One result of this approach is a proliferation of prosaic constructions that displace traditional architecture. The fatigue generated by this situation – although we hope that this important heritage may yet be recognized and safeguarded – leads us to fall prey to an inevitable pessimism.

Three Neoclassical Residential Building Projects in Russian Cities

Stepan Liphart, Ekaterina Liphart — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

In this article we share our experience in the design and construction of residential buildings in the historical centers of the Russian cities of Kaluga and Saint Petersburg. Through three projects, two of which are intended for implementation, we will consider principles and approaches that, on the one hand, favor traditional architecture in residential building, and on the other, allow new buildings to become an organic part of the urban environment.

An Architectural Perspective on Sketching

Andrew Seago, Madeline Seago — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Architects often rely heavily on hand-sketching to represent their ideas to others, but many have never formally studied what makes a good perspective sketch. Elements of perspective sketching such as medium, subject, and composition are examined along with analysis of the technique’s benefits for other aspects of an architect’s work. We introduce and briefly address several technical skills which perspective sketching both requires and cultivates, including the treatment of negative space, correct perspectival construction, shade and shadow, tone, color, and entourage. Considering the underrated nature of good sketching, some suggestions for incorporating sketching practice into one’s daily regimen are put forth.

Glimpses of Nowhere, and Yet of Everywhere

Victoria L. V. Schulz-Daubas — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Lucien Steil
Travel Sketches from Elsewhere & Nowhere
Ediciones Asimétricas, 2022

Beyond Narrative: Discovering the Innate in our Environmental Responses

Vernon Woodworth Faia — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Ann Sussman and Justin B. Hollander
Cognitive Architecture
Routledge, 2021

An Insightful Tour of our Defensive Architecture

Raimundo Moreno Blanco — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Miguel Sobrino González
Castillos y murallas
La Esfera de los Libros, 2022

New Pathways into the Past

Nathaniel Robert Walker — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Samir Younés, Carroll William Westfall
Architectural Type and Character: A Practical Guide to a History of Architecture
Routledge, 2022

The Values of Place and the Legacy of Time

Miguel Ángel Rupérez Escribano — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Fernando Vela Cossío (coord.)
Paisaje y patrimonio en el nordeste de Segovia. La mancomunidad de Nuestra Señora de Hornuez
Fundación Diego de Sagredo / Centro de Investigación de Arquitectura Tradicional (CIAT), 2021

A New Issue in the New Traditional Architecture Series

Antonio Suárez Martín — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Alejandro García Hermida (coord.)
Nueva Arquitectura Tradicional MMXXIII
INTBAU España, 2023

Play and Architecture

Imanol Iparraguirre Barbero — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Alberto Ustarroz y Manuel Íñiguez
Plazas con frontón en Euskal Herria
Editorial Pamiela, 2023

A Commitment to Traditional Architecture from Value Criticism Theory

César Prieto Pérochon — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Anselm Jappe
Hormigón: Arma de construcción masiva del capitalismo
Pepitas de Calabaza, 2021

What is Hidden Beneath Architecture

Carlos J. Irisarri — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

William R. Lethaby
Traducción: Isabel Suárez-Llanos
Arquitectura, misticismo y mito
Germinarq, 2023

Lucidity in Apparent Disorder

Fernando Vegas López-Manzanares — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Olga Muñoz (coordinadora)
Les Gavarres. Aprendre de l’arquitectura anónima
Greta, Consorci Gavarres y Diputació de Girona, 2021

Enduring Roofing Traditions in France

Nadia Everard — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Pierre Lebouteux
Traité de couverture traditionnelle
Editions Vial, 2021

Hadong Hanok Stay: A Subtle Hybrid Structure

Junggoo Cho — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Hadong Hanok Stay is a hanok (traditional Korean house) guest accommodation at the foot of Mount Jirisan, from where you can see the river Seomjingang and the plain of Pyeongsari far to the south. The Stay village consists of four accommodation units of three types: anchae, sarangchae, and byeolchae. Anchae and sarangchae have "horizontal narratives". The various spaces and scenery unfold on a horizontal plane. The byeolchae was planned as a "vertical narrative", with a simple room and a floor over the kitchen. A reception was also provided to cater for guests’ needs. This is a "hybrid" blend of traditional Korean structures and modern wooden ones – a new form of hanok that suits modern lifestyles and construction techniques as well as the graceful scenery of Hadong.

Tornagrain: A New Town for the Scottish Highlands

Ben Pentreath — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

This article discusses the history and architectural philosophy of the Tornagrain New Town near Inverness. Ben Pentreath’s practice has been involved in the development of Tornagrain since its inception and the early masterplan by DPZ and the landowner, Moray Estates, and is now responsible for executing the detailed masterplan and much of the architecture in this new settlement in the Scottish Highlands. Once complete, the town will provide at least 5000 new homes, new schools, community buildings, and commercial spaces, with a new high street. In 2023, eight years after the foundation ceremony, the town consists of 300 houses. In this article Ben describes the history and many of the challenges of the town’s development.

The Pak Wigah Grand Mosque

Hussain Ahmed, Kamil Khan Mumtaz — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

The architecture of the Islamic world is unique in the way that it is able to express the doctrines of faith by virtue of material form. The “style” of this building tradition can be characterized by the use of geometric patterns and intricately detailed ornamental forms that create an overwhelming sense of serenity and spiritual beauty. This article examines the design process involved in the planning and construction of a traditional mosque through the example of the Pak Wigah Grand Mosque, designed by Kamil Khan Mumtaz and built by Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Farukh Hafeez.

Town Hall in Koerich: Building for People, Not for Architects

Colum Mulhern — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

When in 2014 a shoebox-like project was announced as the winner of an architectural competition to extend the eighteenth-century vernacular town hall in the village of Koerich, there was a public uproar. Concerned citizens formed a pressure group called Quo Vadis to oppose the project, and opposition politicians promised to abandon it if they won the upcoming elections. It was then that one of the municipal technicians suggested they ask an Irish immigrant architect, the only one seemingly producing Luxembourger buildings in Luxembourg, to make a proposal.

Two Big Projects in a Small Town: Gorinchem

Mieke Bosse — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

This article discusses the design of two projects situated within the historic fortifications of the old town of Gorinchem in the Netherlands. Scala Architects provides insights into the projects’ inception, including the underlying concepts and design methodology enabling the creation of 142 homes and 282 parking spaces. By employing a range of urban and architectural design principles, both projects have blended seamlessly into the existing urban landscape and, over a decade, have become integral and unobtrusive components of the urban fabric.

Rebuilding of the Chapel of Las Angustias in Villaverde de Arriba, Province of León

Agustín Castellanos Miguélez, Ricardo Cambas Vallinas — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

At the León Trades Center carpentry workshop, as a practical exercise within the 2018 summer courses on structural carpentry, a new Mudéjar-style collar-beam roof framework was built for the Chapel of Las Angustias near León. The design was inspired by the alfarje ceiling over the chapter hall of the Leonese Convent of San Marcos and employs the same structural system and decorative elements: characteristic Leonese timber strapwork with pointed azafate polygons and almendrilla rhomboids. The course had 24 participants: woodwork professionals, construction technicians, and amateur carpenters. Over ten days of work a magnificent roof was built, saving from ruin and demolition an exceptional historic building that has since become the hub of the municipality’s social and cultural life.

Former Colonial Souk of Tablaba, Taghjijt, Guelmim-Oued Noun

Salima Naji — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

This article describes the rehabilitation of the former colonial market of Tablaba, in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region of southern Morocco. In an old palm grove shared by the Tekna and Ayt Herbil tribes, a colonial souk was built in 1940 with local materials and on an impressive scale. In its rehabilitation carried out by Salima Naji following decades of decay, traditional techniques took pride of place. Equally important was a new pilot training program implemented across the province, recovering vernacular methods while also reviving building trades. Thus what is described is not the reconstruction of the original complex, which had partially disappeared when the work began, nor a restoration of any of its constituent parts in the strict sense, but a rehabilitation linking a memorial space that has been kept intact with new built structures.

Holistic Rehabilitation of a Historic Quinta in the Douro Valley

Luís Rebelo de Andrade — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Quinta Vale de Abraão is located in the Douro valley region, some 100 km to the east of Oporto in one of the world’s most traditional winemaking regions, declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2001. The main building, built in the early twentieth century and burned down in 1997, contained architectural features of various styles and periods. This article describes the project conducted on the ensemble over more than two decades, resulting in a harmonious addition of new volumes and a holistic rehabilitation of existing structures along traditional lines, allowing this former quinta manor house to be turned into a spectacular hotel overlooking the Douro.

Importance of Self-built Temporary Spaces, Between Traditional and Transitory Architecture: The Saharawi Wilayat in the Algerian Desert

Daniele Roccaro — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

In an increasingly complex world of climate-related crises, migrations, and forced displacements, the study of spontaneous and temporary self-built settlements in harsh habitats may be of value to the architectural debate. The analysis of the Saharawi camps in the Algerian desert presented here identifies recurrent typological patterns in both domestic and common spaces. The aim of this paper is to analyze these settlements as a structural form of habitation, framing them within the discourse of traditional architecture, while recognizing aspects of ephemerality and emergency provision. The method used was a spatial classification of housing units and settlements in order to identify recurring typological patterns. Our results demonstrate the presence of such patterns and show that, even in precarious and developing situations, principles of traditional architecture apply. By encouraging these practices, we may improve the living conditions of those inhabiting temporary contexts, while also favoring practices that are more sustainable for the environment.

The Reconstruction of Historic German City Centers in the Twenty-First Century: The Cases of Frankfurt and Dresden

Rocío Gómez Llopis — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Twenty-first century Germany is undergoing a highly particular urban development process: over 75 years after the end of the Second World War, we are seeing a new wave of reconstruction in the historic city centers destroyed during that conflict. These initiatives, originating from public demand, involve a combination of precise reconstructions and wholly new projects. In order to understand the interest of these processes for contemporary urban design, we take two case studies: Frankfurt, in the territory of the former West Germany, and Dresden, in the former East Germany. Both processes set out from unsatisfactory urban situations as a result of rebuilding in the first forty years after the war. In response to this, they introduce a new fabric that restores the historic townscape and contextualizes local urban landmarks. Legible, well-defined urban ensembles are thereby created.

Four Wild Flowers: Dawnings of Modern Architecture in Madrid, 1914-1926

David Rivera — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

This article considers the emergence of Modern architecture in Madrid through four selected early-twentieth-century masterpieces. These four exemplars are conceptually linked through their reinterpretations of traditional architectural languages, which thereby evolved to suit the cultural context of modern society.

State of Conservation of Traditional Asturian Cideries: Living Heritage at Risk

Estefanía Fernández-Cid Fernández-Viña — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

This article considers the state of conservation of the traditional llagar cideries in the Principality of Asturias, as part of wider research conducted in the context of a PhD thesis analyzing cider-making architecture within the six districts of the Asturian “Comarca de la Sidra” cider-making area. It presents the results of extensive field work with a great array of data that has been analyzed, sorted, and systematized comparatively both in graphic form and in tables and datasheets. The study’s conclusions are broadly unoptimistic. The progressive discontinuation of cider-making in these traditional buildings along with a lack of real measures for their protection leads the author to find this heritage to be at risk. Even so, there remain some noteworthy examples, some still in use, which are living testimony to these traditional industrial architectures.

Ishaan: Our Planet’s Sun

Kanchi Parmar — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Humans have been allegorists since time immemorial. Through this art of narrating, even the most mystical learning has been presented in accessible forms through scripture and doctrine. India too has left a trail of allegories, a metaphorical approach to the basis of creation, including Vastu – the art of spatial planning and geometry. Vastu is often blended with the jargon of mythology, but it is universal when put into practice rationally. This look at it is merely an illustrative introduction to an age-old indigenous architectural practice of Indian origin. The primitives are often mistakenly seen as too naive for today’s world. The following is an attempt to connect the diverging threads of today’s deconstructive intelligence and the enduring metaphysics of Vastu.

Silence in La Vereda: The Last Bastion of Guadalajara Province’s “Black Architecture”

Miguel Ángel Rupérez Escribano, Fernando Vela Cossío — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

In the heart of the Sierra de Ayllón, near Pico Ocejón, invaluable testimonies have been conserved for an understanding both of ancestral forms of settlement and of the materials, techniques, and systems characteristic of vernacular building in Spain’s Sistema Central mountains. This “black architecture” of Guadalajara province – specifically studied first by Carlos Flores and Luis Martínez Feduchi in the 1960s, following on from prior studies by Leopoldo Torres Balbás in the 1920s and ’30s – constitutes one of the most unusual examples of ethnographic built heritage in Iberia. Its typological and structural invariants are a product of its total adaptation to the environment of which it is part and helps to characterize. Among the best conserved exemplars of this heritage we may highlight La Vereda, a hamlet that seems to have withstood the passage of time almost intact and which offers us a clear picture of this invaluable traditional landscape.

The Magdalena District of Hondarribia: An Example of Vernacular Architecture on the Basque Coast

Aritz Díez Oronoz, Josu Narbarte Hernández — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

In comparison with existing studies on rural Basque architecture chiefly featuring the Basque caserío farmhouse, little in-depth study has been made of vernacular architecture on the Basque coast. This article takes a look at the architecture of the seafaring communities along the coast of Cantabria through a characterization of the fishing district of Hondarribia and an architectural study of its dwellings. Using a combination of documentary, cartographic, photographic and iconographic sources along with a study of extant buildings and their urban settings, we were able to reconstruct the district’s history in detail with its architectural and urban characteristics as well as correlating this with local ways of life. This study opens up a line of work little explored so far in the Basque Country and yet with great potential for research in this and other locations in the vicinity.