Abstract:
Emulating formal and spatial attributes of
extant local building types in the construction.
of new habitats is a ubiquitous feature in
resettlement housing programs. Merging with
the local place and culture as well as providing
a familiar environment for the displaced that
facilitates the start of their new phase of life
with some continuity of the life before the
displacement are aspects of the rationale for
this approach. While this may be of some
worth, adaptation of formal features of
vernacular buildings for resettlement housing
is inherently a dead-end path bound to bring
failure both in the design of the settlement as
well as in the resettlement objectives. It also
shows the limited understanding of the
vernacular building process, the complexities
of the resettlement process, and the
intricately intertwined nature of the two
processes. This presentation will argue that it
is this understanding that is critical for the
success in resettlement housing than mere
emulation of vernacular architectural forms
and languages. Furthermore it is this
understanding that will facilitate the
vernacular building traditions a future '
continuity. The presentation will (a) articulate
the central themes in vernacular building
process and resettlement process; (b) frame a
housing provision strategy that is based on
the connections between the above
processes; and (c) illustrate this premise based on several case studies of resettlement housing around the world
