inhabitat

vernacular design

modular home design with various blocks

Rural, modular home in Mexico allows for a wide variety of configurations

Mexico City- and Berlin-based Zeller & Moye has unveiled a unique modular home that allows for multiple horizontal...

structure embedded into the earth surrounded by rock walls

A Brazilian ‘bear cave’ brewery boasts several passive techniques to stay chill

Summer visitors to searing São Paulo now have a new "bear cave" to cool off in with a cold, frothy craft brewski...

metal sheets windows that swing

This Vietnamese home has moving walls that bring in natural light and fresh air

Ho Chi Minh City-based firm Nishizawa Architects created a gorgeous multi-family home that is built to withstand...

WEI Architects, Springingstream guesthouse, undulating roofs, wavy roofs, nature-based design, reclaimed materials, chinese architecture, renovated guest house, reclaimed building materials, chinese guest home, wavy roof tiles, interior design, vernacular design, natural air ventilation, traditional chinese architecture, renovating villages, restoring villages in china

The Springingstream Guesthouse mimics the mountains of China with an undulating roof

Beijing-based studio WEI Architects renovated an abandoned building in China's remote Fujian province into a beautiful...

MLS Architects, Muir Craig House, Nova Scotia architecture, nova scotia home design, barn home, barn-inspired homes, birchwood homes, corrugated metal homes, barn designs, renovated barn designs, wooden homes, wooden interiors, barn design, interior design, vernacular design, gabled roofs,

Minimalist barn-inspired home was built as a “landscape viewing instrument”

Halifax-based firm MLS Architects has created a minimalist barn-inspired home that pays homage to the local vernacular...

Dekleva Gregoric Architects, Chimney House, architecture, slovenian architecture, timber homes, timber-clad home, larch exterior, larch wood, chimney homes, homes with chimney, slovenian architecture, vernacular architecture, gabled roof, vernacular design, gabled homes,

Timber Chimney House gives farmhouse vernacular a modern twist

Although the Chimney House is a thoroughly contemporary design, the home's aesthetic pays homage to the area's...

ecuadorian weaving, ecuadorian architecture, vernacular architecture, indigenous architecture, totora cube, Woven house in Ecuador, Archquid think-act tank, Totora's Cube, Ecuador, multi-use space, Totora plant, traditional weaving techniques, green architecture

Woven “Totora Cube” in Ecuador explores new materials for indigenous architecture

We love experiments in vernacular design and sustainable materials, including this fascinating project from Ecuador....

Dusai Resort & Spa, VITTI Sthapati Brindo, green resort, Bangladesh, traditional building techniques, cottage, green architecture, swimming pool, eco-resort

Labyrinthine resort in Bangladesh lets nature take over

Nestled among the green hills of a tea plantation in northern Bangladesh, Dusai Resort & Spa was modeled after...

HAUS KW, Paul Kweton, Upper Austria, sustainable alpine home in Austria, hybrid modern and vernacular design, Paul Kweton HAUS KW, sublime alpine home Austria

Sublime alpine home in Upper Austria marries modern and vernacular design

Clad in highly reflective, insulated metal panels, HAUS KW would have a pitched roof evocative of vernacular alpine...

Rural Loft, Delaware, DIGSAU, reclaimed wood, rural architecture, barn, traditional construction techniques, green architecture, timber decks, vernacular architecture

Vernacular-inspired Delaware home built with recycled barn wood

The house, called Rural Loft, is located in an area of Delaware dominated by agriculture. It channels the local...

Hoop Dance Gathering Place, Mohawk College, Brook McIlroy, indigenous people, Canada, Aboriginal, open air pavilion, timber pavilion, green architecture, traditional construction techniques

Amazing Hoop Dance Gathering Place celebrates Canada’s indigenous cultures

The project, located in a large courtyard on the Mohawk College campus, was developed in collaboration between...

Ayerbe rammed earth home, rammed earth home in Spain, Spanish rammed earth home, earth homes halve CO2 emissions, Àngels Castellarnau, Edra Arquitectura,

Award-winning rammed earth home in Spain halves normal CO2 emissions

Presented as a "contemporary vernacular 21st century house," Castellarnau's design incorporates a variety of energy...

Women's Opportunity Center, Rwanda, Sharon Davis Design, WOC Rwanda, war-torn women rebuild their lives, sustainable farming Rwanda , hand-made clay bricks, Kings Palace Rwanda, vernacular Rwandan design, green architecture Rwanda, sustainable design Rwanda

WOC helps Rwandan women rebuild their war-torn lives from the land

The 450,000 clay bricks used to construct the circular buildings were hand-pressed with materials found on site,...

ECOHAUS, Oman, GUtech, cylindrical home, compressed earth brick home, earth brick home in Oman, round home in Oman, House in a House, Oman ECOHAUS by GUtech, green design Oman, green homes in Oman, naturally cool home Oman, sustainable design Oman, vernacular earth home Oman

Round ECOHAUS in Oman uses compressed earth bricks for a naturally cool home

Thanks to the unique form, which includes round walls and strategic cutouts that allow natural light to penetrate...

Out of Africa, Maasai Mara reserve, Kenya lodge, Kenya safari lodge, Maasai vernacular, conical brick buildings, tented suites, conical brick building, Silvio Rech and Leslie Carstens, African design, colonial architecture, out of africa film set, Angama Mara safari lodge, contemporary African design

New Kenyan safari lodge celebrates Maasai vernacular with conical brick buildings

Albeit a luxury destination reserved for the elite few who can afford to shell out over $800 a night, Angama showcases...

Aljoud Lootah, Dubai Design Week, Dubai, Yaroof, fishing nets, nylon rope, art installation, temporary shelter, vernacular design, arabesque pattern

Otherworldly Yaroof installation by Aljoud Lootah celebrates Dubai’s fishing heritage

Traditional Yaroof shore fishermen use beach seine netting made of strong mesh, mainly to catch small fish. Fishermen...

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