The Small House Book by Jay Shafer Read Free Book Online

Co. 1966. p. 2544). If a particular type of roof works better than any other, then that is what is used. In short,
    vernacular architecture is not the product of invention, but of evolution—its
    parts plucked from the great global stew pot of common knowledge and com-
    mon forms. Anything is fair game so long as it has been empirically proven to
    work well and withstand the test of time. By using only tried-and-true forms
    and building practices, such design successfully avoids the multitude of post-
    occupancy problems typical of more “innovative” architecture.
    The vernacular home does not preclude modern conveniences. There are,
    after all, better ways to insulate these days than with buffalo skins. The ver-
    nacular designer appropriates the best means currently available to meet
    human needs, but, technology is, of course, employed only where it will en-
    hance the quality of life within a dwelling and not cause undue burden.

    80
    Mendocino gable (right)

    All Natural
    What the subtractive process requires, more than anything else, is a firm
    understanding of necessity. Knowledge of universal human needs and the
    archetypal forms that satisfy them is a prerequisite for the practice of good
    design. This knowledge is available to anyone willing to pay attention.
    A vernacular architect who has come across a photo of a Kirghizian yurt
    and encountered a Japanese unitized bathroom and a termite mound while
    traveling does not set out to build a yurt with a unitized bathroom and termite
    inspired air conditioning just to show what he has learned. He retains the
    forms for a time when necessity demands their use.
    Vernacular architects do not strive to produce novel designs for novelty’s
    sake. Necessity must be allowed to dictate form. The architect’s primary job
    is to get out of its way. It might seem that such a process would produce a
    monotonously limited variety of structures, but, in fact, there is infinite varia-
    tion within the discipline. Vernacular architecture is as diverse as the climates
    and cultures that produce it. The buildings in a particular region may all look
    similar as they have all resulted from the same set of socionatural conditions,
    but within these boundaries, there is also plenty of room for variance. With
    the big problems of design already resolved by the common sense of their
    predecessors, vernacular architects are left free to focus on the specifics of
    the project at hand. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they are left to fine-tune
    the spokes.
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    Symbolic Meaning
    Vernacular architects have at their disposal not only what they have assimil-
    ated from books, travel and the work of their ancestors but a lot of hard-wired
    knowledge as well. Human beings have an innate understanding of certain
    forms. We are born liking some shapes more than others, and our favorites
    turn up frequently in the art of young children and in every culture. Among
    these is the icon representing our collective idea of home. Everyone will un-
    doubtedly recognize the depiction of a structure with a pitched roof, a chim-
    ney accompanied by a curlicue of smoke and a door flanked by mullioned
    windows. Children draw this as repeatedly and as spontaneously as they do
    faces and animals. It represents our shared idea of home, and, not supris-
    ingly, it includes some of the most essential parts of an effective house. With
    little exception, a pitched roof to deflect the elements, with a well-marked
    entrance leading into a warm interior, with a view to the world outside are ex-
    actly what are necessary to a freestanding home. For a vernacular designer,
    any deviation from this ideal is dictated by the particular needs posed by local
    climate.
    The symbolic meaning of common architectural shapes is as universal as the
    use of the shapes themselves. Just as surely as we look for meaning in our
    everyday world, the most common things in our world do become meaning-
    ful. That the symbolism behind these