Evolutionary

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Vernacular architecture

APPROACH

• As a rule;it can be defined as any disciplinary approach to clarify the origins of the objects or classes of objects belonging to the same category.

• As a meaning; a continual development process whereby a situation progresses undisturbed and continuously.

• Evolutionist ideas can be found in various branches; such as Philosophy, linguistics, sociology and anthropology.

• In architecture;the evolutionary theory mainly used as a research method in the field of vernacular studies where on the number and the variety of building specimens, it was easy to determine the typological links.

Classified Periods• Classic Evolutionism• Illuminist Evolutionism• Romantic Evolutionism• Positivist Evolutionism• Positivist Evolutionism• Anthropological Evolutionary• Evolutionism and modern

architecture

Classic Evolutionism

• An initial concept of this theory existed in west since and ancient times;Vitruvius; defined pole and branch huts as the prototypes of temples, apart from the structural components of the Dorian order.some classical evolutionism examples where can be seen in renaissance era were not concerned sensitivity to the cultural values.

• Focusing on shelter, they got a significant effect on formation of classical orders, which let the archeological discoveries indicating the wooden origins of Greek temples.

• Origins of Greek temples, Hut styles, square huts & conical shelters and northern European types of dwellings showing a pioneer interest on classical vernacular architecture.

Illuminist Evolutionism

• Diffusions of the ideas on evolutionary vision classicalism let the architectural changes in the mid 18th century.

• Architectural truth and beauty take its importance where huts became paradigmatic and no longer ideologically support temples or the classic order but they based on the principles of rationality (which was the basic principle in modern architecture…)

• illuminist evolutionism; More simply as an ideal model for architecture, is symbolically representative of its structure and function. The final product of architecture of that category named as moderate neoclassical forms.

Romantic Evolutionism

• In 19th century by the new ideas of romanticism the architecture moved from generally protohistoric a theme of origins to the more specifically issues of the cultural values of new world.

• Contrary to the neoclassic attempts to universalize architecture, Romantic evo. gave rise in various countries to adopt their own traditional architecture where locality and cultural expressions were important.

• Despite of the changes of era`s ,there was only one of the numerous possible stylistic references of the architectural repertoire. Such as Neo-Greek, neo Byzantine, Neo- gothic …

Positivist Evolutionism

• In 1859 two type of re-considerations appeared in England which one was Theoretic, the other was Operative. Both of them succeed on leave their marks on architectural evolutions.

• On the origin of species by Darwin• Red house by Philip Webb – traditional domestic

cultural model.

Red house by Philip Webb

• Within this era; publications take further importance on different materials and the process.

• Semper; he developed architectural theory developed in order to identify a sequence of four major building currents: weaving, moulding, building in wood and building in stone followed by metal processing.

• Not only as a material but those method has symbolic and decorative formal characteristics on buildings.

• Evolutionary message highlighted over technical and functional factors.

• These opions were not shared by Viollet-le-Duc who placed major importance on the technique, especially on the structure.

• Even though he didn’t completely produce a real evolutionary

theory like Semper, he was the first who documented a sequence of types of building of all times and countries, accompanied by excellent illustrations.

Anthropological Evolutionary• From the late 19th century, initial research on vernacular

architecture tended to documentation and systematically compare the products of material culture.

• Among materials, organization procedures become considerably importance in social life, because they are representative of nature. Especially dwellings where family live inside, exterior reserved as social life.

• Social process takes place in evolutionary theories as a space terms of dimension and complexity.

• Another research in that era is, Typology of material form(especially dwellings forms) of social instructions taken to be a number of pointers that identified the evolutionary level of a certain culture relation to the 12 fundamental cycles.

1. Primitive cycle – screen of branches and dome-sharped shelters2. Boomerang cycle – dome-shaped shelters3. Totem cycle - cylindrical – conical hut4. Dual class cycle – square hut with dual sloping roofs5. Bow cycle – square hut on platform6. Sudanese Polynesian cycle – square hut on stone base7. Arc-tico and pastoral cycle – underground winter shelter8. Mexican- andes cycle – homes, towns and monuments9. And 12. indian ancient chinese, islamic and mediterianean cycles

• Besides these classificated researches, other parameters took some interest of researchers; climatic factors, environmental resources, economic activities, social institutions and religious beliefs… also cultural values tried to be ignored because of cultural diversity.

Evolutionism and modern architecture• The modern movement had several starting points at from

traditional architecture of various countries.• the modern movement taking its place more radically.

Rationalism highlighted the movement of modernism which opposed to ornamental and figurative architecture.

• Expressive and characterize architecture• Within this period German expressionist architecture placed

more social importance on town planning where it clash with the Nazi ideology who keeps traditional forms and typologies.

• Contrast to Germany, Italy less concentrated to the opposing link between modernists and trationalists.

• Within this era, analysis of vernacular architecture improved and took professional approaches which the researches based on more graphically accurate and asses technological and typological factor more carefully.

• Other researches also included some important factors such as ethnological forms, environmental and cultural context.

Conclusion• Architects growing interest in vernacular architecture is largely

due to dissatisfaction with the operative results of modern architecture.

• Importance of historical and cultural contexts where current architecture hardly fit their products in it.

• Apart from scientific values, there is increasing desire to analyze the root or the origin of the vernacular architecture for a better understanding of building environment and the cultural values.

• These kind of analysis, helps us to clarify the origins of the product, where they belong to, and enables to put them in to the practice for future by the correct process.