Neo-Vernacular Concepts for Value-Adding in Contemporary European Architecture and Design

Abstract

This analysis is based on the investigation of European neovernacular built environment and the specific structures used in traditional vernacular architecture and furniture that inspire it on a conceptual level. The on-site investigation resulted in the identification of vernacular characteristics: the presence of specific wooden structures, connections, wood utilisation patterns, scale, and proportion, all general features of the vernacular architecture and interior design. The case studies illustrate and provide relevant conclusions in this regard, but they also provide additional practical experience to the theoretical analysis through on-site investigation.

Idea and Spirit of Seven Years of Design and Crafts Based Workshops and Research on Site

“…The first step was one of empathizing with the farmers, the original builders and inhabitants of the house, understanding the structural-formal, functional typology of the rural Saxon household and developing new approaches for the old spaces (Figure 9). The former living spaces can become spaces for exhibition, full of natural light and open space; the former barn can become a place for crafts, prototyping, the garden can transform into a large outdoor amphitheater [3], [5]. A series of sketches, analytical maps and models resulted after the one week workshop, all of these materials setting a solid background study for the implementation of the future project.…”