Types of Vernacular Buildings

INTRODUCTION

House Types: Some have tried to distinguish vernacular houses on the basis of the position of their hearth. The hearth can be on a gable or in a central position. However this apparently straightforward classification is made difficult when additional rooms are added beyond a gable, making a gable hearth into a central hearth. A more useful method of classifying vernacular houses lies in the relationship between the door and the hearth.

Hearth Lobby houses:In this type of house a wall, called the jamb wall, of brick or wood is positioned between the front door and the fireplace. It was usual to have a small hole or window in the jamb wall to allow light into the hearth and to allow those inside to see the door. Often there was also a small window in the rear wall providing further light to the hearth area. Work by the geographers Des McCourt and Estyn Evans suggests that this house type is not indigenous to Ireland but was introduced from England in the early seventeenth century. Hearth lobby houses are not found, except for occasional outliers, in North Antrim, County Derry, West Tyrone or East Down.

Direct-entry Houses

Some houses in Ireland were constructed with a front door opening into the room with the fireplace. The earliest houses of this type that remain are byre-dwellings where people and animals were housed together. Milking cows needed to be kept indoors in Winter and during the night in other seasons other than Summer. Byre-dwellings had doors opposite to each linked by a flagstone floor. The animals were tethered to the wall opposite the fireplace and a drain led downhill from that area to the outside. Evidence for these byre-dwellings in recent times in Ireland shows them to have been distributed

A number of alternative forms seems to have derived from byre-dwellings. In some cases the byre was separated from the main living area with a solid wall with separate access for the animals. Often this allowed the room where the byre would have been to become a bedroom. If a bedroom already existed beyond the fireplace, the 'new' room may have become a formal parlour. These would have been three unit houses, and occasionally four unit houses would also have been constructed. By the mid-nineteenth Century it became more common to have fireplaces in other units to heat them. In two unit houses this led to a chimney being built in each gable. Three units meant that a chimney would be built between the two gable chimneys, in a asymmetric position.

OutshotsIn many areas in the north and west of Ireland, the bed outshot is a feature of vernacular architecture, as here in a modernised cottage close to Malin Head.

This extension, usually to the rear of the dwelling, housed a bed next to the kitchen hearth. Traditionally this bed was used by the oldest inhabitants of the house. A shallow bed outshot meant that much of the bed protruded into the kitchen floor area but many outshots were deep enough to accommodate the bed entirely. The bed was screened by curtains or, more commonly in Donegal, by wooden doors.Since the bed outshot is found in direct entry houses which have derived from byre dwellings, it is unclear why they are not generally found in of County Antrim and Down, for example. Perhaps they existed in the past but there is little evidence to support this. They date back at least to the early 19th Century and are a traditional element of vernacular buildings. Since they co-existed with houses without outshots, and in many areas were in the minority, they are not thought to provide the basis for a separate oushe type.

InsakasAn insaka is a structure which is similar in western thought as a gazebo. In Zambia these structures have significant roles in social life in village life and the preparations of food. Insaka is a Bemba word for "place to gather" It is derived from the verb isa " to come together".Culturally it is very important!!A cooking insaka is a small hut which a fire is kept. Women socialize around this nucleus of activity. Men socialize in the insaka which is more public, where one greets a visitor. The men and the women have different accepted social areas.

Traditionally people would gather underneath a tree. The tree naturally enclosed a space and offered protection from sun and the rain.An insaka basically encloses a space. This for protection from the elements while allowing for work or socializing.

Main Functions Of Insakas

•Cooking

•Social

Construction of InsakasInsakas are constructed in all shapes and sizes.The structures provide protection from the elements, mainly wind but also rain and sun.

1. A shallow foundation is dug and burnt bricks ( or pole and mud) is built to a height of about 1 meter.2. Poles are placed into the ground about .5 meter deep. It is also common for the poles to be placed before the walls are constructed. The poles are either plastered into the walls or just sit outside of them.3. After the poles are built for the roof structure, thatch is added on top.

Poles and Walls: The support poles can either be embedded into the walls with bricks plastered with them or poles are placed just outside of the walls.

Functional Structures

Some structures are used in everyday village life for storing food and other crops. Even though they are small in size they play a huge role in the pattern of village society.

The structure is raised off the ground about .5 meter to protect it from moisture. It is similar in concept and construction as a grainy but at a smaller scale.

Pit latrines are open toilets (no plumbing). The walls are constructed of either bricks or pole and mud. Floor is constructed of poles or timbers crossing over opening and covered and packed with earth. The pit, on average, is 4m deep and could last up to 2 years, depending on use. The pit is usually treated with lime.

Granaries

Granaries is one of another important structure for storage of food and a common vernacular structure.

Construction

Step 1: The base of the granary is usually raised off the ground to; prevent from animals from eating, to keep it off of the wet ground, and to allow for ventilation underneath.

Step 2:Support poles for the granary depends on the size desired and availability of materials. 12 pegs ( on average) are used to support cross poles. Pegs have "T' shape to take in cross poles.

Step 3:The pole and mud structure is tall and skinny, and has a large overhang.The bamboo structure is larger and squatter. This could be left unplastered.

Step 4:The roof structure is usually removable. It is a thatched roof, with a large overhang to protect mud walls from the rain. The roof is removable to allow for access inside, or from a side panel.The connections are raised off of the ground. The walls are usually woven with bamboo and thus allows for ventilation.

Components of Granarey1. Big support poles

2. Roof added

3. Vertical supporting poles

4. Base plastered over

5. Smaller support poles

6. All plastered

7. Woven basket raised on base

Homesteads

Homestead layouts vary, are similar in nature, but are not identical.. The structures themselves are quite small but outdoor spaces are utilized because of warm temperatures.The combined structures and spaces of a homestead equals the size of a house in the U.S.

Homestead Layout: Each homestead usually has these spaces and structures. Variances do occur but this is seen as typical.•Latrine•Functional Area •Social/ Public Area•Homestead•Fields•Nature Buffer

Tall grass or bush defines the homestead.The homestead area is trodden, well worn, where grass does not grow.Connections are made to other homesteads by walking paths. Many homesteads comprise of extended families; the fathers house, then the sons and their wives and families. Arrangements of homesteads vary from area to area but 3 main variations exist.

These homesteads are very open to each other with no major barriers in-between.. Separations are achieved by layouts of individual homesteads, creating courtyards. Plantings, or nature are used for separation of spaces and homesteads.These homesteads are rarer; yards are completely enclosed by bushes or hedges. The plantings are uniform in size and placement, and this effect creates "streets" through a village.

Various Layouts These following pictures are examples of different layouts of the homestead. Some homesteads or yards are for single houses while others are comprised of many houses in a single family. Some homesteads are enclosed by shrubs or other natural features while others are open to others.

The end