A Global Approach to Vernacular Practices
L. Cocchi (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
R.R.J. van de Pas – Mentor
N.J. Mota – Graduation committee member
H.L. van der Meel – Graduation committee member
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Abstract
As many other parts of the global south, the built environment of Kullu, an Himalayan valley of Himachal Pradesh (india), will be probably threaten by several types of natural hazards, mainly caused by climate change.
This fact, together with the phenomenon of migration towards the main urban environments, determines a risky and urgent situation that needs solutions to encourage a safe future development.
A research on the local vernacular architecture led to discover which are the archetypical qualities that the existing typologies embody, especially in terms of sustainability.
The main hypothesis is that several contemporary issues regarding the mitigation and the adaptation of the built environment to the effect of climate change could be solved finding the meaning of innovation in the inspiration given from ancient concepts.
Such study - carried on mainly by field researches and existing literatures – allowed the designer to gain the basic knowledge on the architectural practices of the area and therefore to be able to elaborate a project that can re-interpret and combine the local cultural specificities with his more global knowledge.
The research conclusions are demonstrated in a new design for the school building of the Dagpo Monastery, a Tibetan cultural center placed in Kais, a small village in the middle of the valley.
The aim is to solve the problem of availability of construction materials, building comfort, durability of structure and sustainability - but also to exemplify how the spontaneous architecture-without-architects can really inspire architects during their creative process.