Invitation to Vernacular Architecture: A Guide to the Study of Ordinary Buildings and Landscapes (Vernacular Architecture Studies)

by Thomas Carter, Elizabeth Collins Cromley

Invitation to Vernacular A Guide to the Study of Ordinary Buildings and Landscapes, is a manual for exploring and interpreting vernacular architecture, the common buildings of particular regions and time periods. Thomas Carter and Elizabeth Collins Cromley provide a comprehensive introduction to the field.Proposing a methodology, Invitation to Vernacular Architecture provides a systematic approach to vernacular architecture fieldwork. The authors walk readers through the process of examining and documenting a building, explaining in detail how to define a research area and create a research plan. They guide students step-by-step in how to take accurate measurements of sites and of building exteriors and interiors and explain what to look for at each level. They show how to find patterns and how to organize information to yield sound interpretations of buildings’ meanings. As a complement to this practical approach, Carter and Cromley present current scholarship on vernacular architecture and explain the need for a broad theoretical perspective. They show how analysis of facts related to a building can reveal important insights into the behavior and culture of people who lived in a certain area at a certain time. The authors then present a single ordinary house as a case study to explore the different points of view that scholars have brought to the study of vernacular architecture.Rich with illustrations and written in a clear and jargon-free style, Invitation to Vernacular Architecture is an ideal text for courses in architecture, material culture studies, historic preservation, American studies, and history, and a useful guide for anyone interested in the built environment.

Genres: Architecture

120 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 2005

Reviews

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a guide and "how to" book for vernacular architecture studies, which may be defined as "the study of those human actions and behaviors that are manifest in commonplace architecture" (xiv). In other words, it is the study of architecture (its form and meanings) that is often overlooked because of its common occurrence in the built landscapes. Whereas most architectural history classes focus on innovative and exceptional buildings often designed by famous architects for wealthy patrons, vernacular architecture studies tries to extract meaning from buildings that were more likely to have been inhabited by average people. In this way, these studies apply more readily to connecting the built environment to political and social studies.

Carter and Cromley due a masterful job of introducing the field of study that is only as old as the late 1960s, and in turn they organize a useful guide to how people can go about seeking to gain insights and interpretations into human history from the largest materials in material culture: buildings. A famous example of how the built environment speaks more honestly about historical realities than narratives alone are slave quarters hidden on plantations where slave labor was never discussed openly. Other interpretations might be more modest, but there are ways in which past buildings can inform future solutions to addressing higher density housing demands (see work by Groth and Chow). I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I am very excited about what other overlooked buildings can reveal about communities and society.

[Thomas Mackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good starter for this subject and supportive as an instruction book. You need the reference books to go with this as it does not help you there.

[Caitlyn Veenstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a requirement in a Historic Preservation course. The book is an easy read and does a good job at explaining the methods and technology needed to document vernacular architecture and landscapes. A couple of the chapters go in-depth on mapping and plotting, which was difficult for me to follow as I am a visual learner. Overall, a great beginners read!