Dwellings: The Vernacular House Worldwide

by Paul Oliver

More than 90 per cent of the world's buildings, including some 800 million homes, constitute architecture of ordinary people. Dwellings is about the vast range of types of vernacular houses around the world. It documents the form of traditional buildings that are self-built by their owner-occupiers or built by members of a community, recording the means of construction and decoration of the house across a spectrum of different cultures. First published by Phaidon in 1987, Dwellings - in its new updated, revised and expanded format - assimilates new scholarship in the field, including the author's own research, and traces theoretical developments in the spheres of cultural geography, gender studies, sociology and anthropology. It is not only a fascinating reference work on domestic buildings, but also a useful survey for understanding how diverse communities cope with issues of climate, migration, mass development and, in turn, how this brings to life symbolic and cultural meaning in architecture.

Genres: Architecture, Design, Art, Nonfiction, Reference

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

See http://www2.hud.ac.uk/staffprofiles/s...

Reviews

[Dyuthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on vernacular architecture. You probably will never find this stuff just by Googling. Simple language too.

[Silje · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the basic book to start with, when looking at housing forms around the world. A classic reference book, but which needs another layer of analysis for more socio-political aspects and the understanding of transformation over time. The social appropriation of building materials and even stories about cosmic meaning, are never static. A wonder-box for pondering the meaning of housing, when coupled with some critical anthropology, like for example the work of Marcel Vellinga.

[Windry · Rating 3 out of 5]

wajib baca lah untuk semua arsitek ^^ menarik mengetahui makna tempat tinggal yang lebih dalam, dibaurkan dengan berbagai kultur

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool pictures, not fun to read.

[Jeff Eisenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book-covers a huge swath of architecture