Vernacular, Classical and Modern Architecture: podcast interview with Devya (Architalktonic)

Last month, I was approached by a former colleague of mine at VERITAS Architects, Devyani Vijayakumar, for a podcast interview to discuss Vernacular architecture in the 21st century. Devya is currently studying for a Master of Architecture at Deakin University in Australia and slaying her design thesis with her usual kababoom fabulousness as we speak.

This is a topic that has been with me for more than a decade now - part of which comes from my aborted PhD on the knowledge systems of building guilds and artisans many years ago when I was part of Universiti Malaya. So when she approached me, I immediately said yes!

Vernacular architecture is a definition fraught with incredible bias. The word comes from Latin vernaculus - which pertains to slaves. But it's a solidly modern definition meant to distinguish buildings built by amateurs and non-elite groups from those constructed by formally-educated specialists, such as architects, artists, and engineers. In the podcast, I referenced Pevsner's famous quote: "A bicycle shed is a building. The Lincoln Cathedral is architecture." From a postcolonial perspective, many scholars have also argued that vernacular architecture was a category used by colonial scholars to denigrate the architecture of colonised people and elevate the Western tradition as "Architecture." So "Vernacular architecture" is not just a dead idea or old buildings but a dynamic field of contested ideas. It influenced the creation of Classical architecture - and at the same time, takes inspiration from the Classical cannon. I even argued that sometimes Modernist architecture can become vernacular. This blurring of boundaries is something traditional and classical architects around the world exploit, especially in the works of Leon Krier, Peter Pennoyer, Michael Limberg, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.

Today, vernacular architectural principles are arguably an important source of inspiration in the age of Anthropocene and climate change. How does it all connect? You can check out the podcast episode here. Let me know what you think!