describes about ethipopian, specifically guragae vernacular house

1. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
ETHIOPIAN VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
What is vernacular architecture?

2. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Definition:
• The term vernacular is derived from the Latin vernaculus,
meaning "domestic, native, indigenous"
• DICTIONARY Definition: informally spoken language/architecture
(unofficial)

3. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Definition of Architecture
Architecture?

4. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular + Architecture
•Vernacular in architecture refers to architecture
which is indigenous to a specific time or place (not
imported or copied from elsewhere).
•It is most often applied to residential buildings

5. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Cont..
• Frank Lloyd Wright described vernacular architecture as
"Folk building growing in response to actual needs, fitted into
environment by people who knew no better than to fit them with
native feeling".

6. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Cont..
• Vernacular architecture is a traditional and natural way in which
communities house them selves.
• It is a continuing process including necessary changes and
adaptation as a response to social and environmental constrains.

7. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Cont…
• The terms vernacular and traditional in architecture are sometimes
used synonymously.
• Vernacular architecture almost by definition, is sustainable
architecture, and will not exhaust the local resources.
• If it is not sustainable, it is not suitable for its local context, and
cannot be vernacular.

8. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Considerations of vernacular architecture
Basic considerations/concerns are:
• Climate
• Environment & Material
• Culture –Knowledge
- lifestyle
- beliefs
- admin.

9. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
1. Climate
• One of the most significant influences on vernacular architecture is
the macro climate of the area in which the building is constructed.

10. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
2. Culture
• The way of life of building occupants, and the way they use their
shelters, is of great influence on building forms.
• The size of family units, who shares which spaces, how food is
prepared and eaten, how people interact and many other cultural
considerations will affect the layout and size of dwellings.

11. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
3. Environment & Materials
• The local environment and the construction materials it can provide,
govern many aspects of vernacular architecture.
• Areas rich in trees will develop a wooden vernacular, while areas
without much wood may use mud or stone.

12. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Basic Identities of Vernacular Architecture
Vernacular houses could be recognized by:
• A manner of building shared by the community
• A recognizable local or regional character responsive to the environment.
• Coherence of style, form, and material
• Traditional expertise in design and construction which is transmitted
informally
• An effective response to social, functional, and environmental constraints.
• Effective application of traditional construction systems and crafts

13. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Context of Ethiopia: Climate
• Ethiopia has been called the citadel of Africa.
• It is a mountainous country; various peoples, speaking many
languages
• With a population of more than 120 million.
• It has an ancient culture and a recorded history.

14. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Context of Ethiopia: Climate
• Altitude is the most important factor regulating the tempo of life
in Ethiopia. It influences:
• the fauna and the flora
• The types of agriculture,
• Even personality traits, are said to depend on their specific
location.

15. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Context of Ethiopia: Climate
• “Ethiopians believe that the highlanders are slow and even-tempered
and that the lowlanders are easily angered.”
Paul Oliver
• There are three traditional classifications of altitude: dega or
highland, weina-dega or middle altitude, and kolla or lowland.

16. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Context of Ethiopia: Climate
• The mountains offer three advantages so far as human settlements
are concerned.
• First, mountains provide protection to villages and large settlements,
and all important Ethiopian towns are located in areas difficult to
reach.
• Secondly, although most of highland Ethiopia is situated within the
tropics, it enjoys a softness of climate, rather like the summer
climate of Switzerland. The altitude is chiefly responsible for this.

17. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Context of Ethiopia: Climate
• Thirdly, altitude provides a remarkably healthful environment. Above
the middle levels, weina-dega, the tsetse fly cannot survive, and as a
result, cattle and draught animals are found in abundance.
• As we shall see later, cow dung constitutes an important element in
the construction of housing, and even cattle horns are used, as
hooks for hanging a variety of utensils.

18. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Context of Ethiopia: Socio-cultural
Ethiopians may be grouped into three major ethnic groupings.
1. Semitised Cushitic group
e.g: Tigre chief’s house and Tigre farmer’s house
Though Guragies are Semitised Cushitic their house is the same in
substance as Cushitic tribes.

19. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Context of Ethiopia: Socio-cultural
2. Cushitic group
The shoa oromo house is a sample of a type built by the most important
sub-group of the Cushitic group.
3. Nilotic group
• Chencha and Sidamo house bamboo houses are built by people whose
tribal affinity is closer to the Cushitic group than to the Nilotic group.
• However, since there is a close similarity between these types of houses
and the house types by Nilotic group, Sidamo and Chencha houses will be
taken as representative samples of the Nilotic group.

20. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Context of Ethiopia: Socio-cultural
Source: Paul Oliver,1976

21. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Ethiopian vernacular house typologies
According to the characteristics of
supporting frameworks Ethiopian
houses can be divided in to three.
1. Rigid element
2. Flexible element “planted” to
the ground at one end
3. Flexible element “planted” to
the ground at both

22. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Ethiopian vernacular house typologies
Construction materials used
1. Structure: stone, block, and burnt brick
2. Twining/tying: rope, or plant twigs, or else
3. Weaving: bamboo and grass

23. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Ethiopian vernacular house typologies
Source: Paul Oliver,1976

24. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Ethiopian vernacular house typologies
Process Prototype Shape & Form Window
1 Tigre chief’s house Round conical roof Yes
1 Tigre farmer’s house Rectangular flat
roof
Yes
2 Amhara house Round conical roof Yes/ & No
2 Shoa Oromo house Round conical roof No
2 Gurage house Round conical roof No
3 Chencha house Para-spherical No
3 Sidamo huse Para-spherical No

25. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Tigray
• In Tigray province there are two types of houses; farmer’s house
(Hidmo) and chief’s house (circular thatched).
Three important public activities are included the land use plan of a
typical village.
1. A church and graveyard attached to it
2. An open-air meeting place
3. A place for the accumulation and burning of village waste
products

26. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Tigray
Farmer’s House(Hidmo)

27. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Tigray
• Houses in this area are built very close to one another.
• Material: stone, timber, mud, and thatch
• Wall type: load-bearing masonry wall
• The stone masonry for these houses follows the old Axum tradition.
• i.e large well-dressed stones at the corners and small stones
elsewhere.
• Pillars supporting the roof are placed throughout the house without
much regard for symmetry.

28. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Tigray
Internal arrangement
The farmer’s house is remarkably rich in the variety of built-in furniture
provided.
It provided three kinds of built-in facilities
1. raised platform that serves as a sitting bench (Medeb) runs along walls
2. A slightly higher platform built adjacent to the wall and serves as a bed
3. A furnace for baking Injera (Eton) and stone-grinding mill

29. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Tigray
• Internal space arrangement of farmer’s
house

30. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Tigray
Chief’s House
• These two-story round houses made of stone are found in Axum and
Adua parts of Tigray.
• These have been used as a residence for governors, high priests and
soldiers
• They have thatched roof, stair and well decorated windows

31. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Tigray

32. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Tigray
Elevation and section of chief’s house

33. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Tigray

34. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Oromo
• It is estimated that well over three-quarters of Ethiopian houses
have a basic form of a cylindrical wall and conical roof.
• The Oromo house is a good example of this type
• The people are the most numerous tribal group and their language is
spoken throughout the country except in north & northwest
Ethiopia.
• The area is rich in forests of eucalyptus and juniper & also suitable
grasses for thatching

35. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Oromo
Construction Methods
• The foundation trenches are dug with generous dimensions usually 1
m in width
• Black stone (basalt) is used for the foundation since it supposedly
doesn't absorb water.
• Axe and adze tools are used to carve timber elements of the house
comprise of windows, doors, and flooring beams

36. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Oromo
Common materials:
• Stone – for foundation
• Timber – for most parts of the house (wall & roof system)
• Mud reinforced by straw- for plaster
• Grass- for thatching

37. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Oromo
Section and elevation of Oromo's house

38. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Oromo
• Thatching requires the advice and occasional supervision of an
expert.
• Rains in these parts are heavy, and the roof must therefor be tightly
built.
• The best grass for this purpose is called “sembelet” and thatching is
usually carried out from the edge of the roof to the apex.

39. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Oromo
• Internal arrangement of the Oromo house is very simple indeed.
• To the left of the main entrance there is the area served for calves.
• At the center there is a fireplace made of three clay bricks.
• A bed made of wooden legs and leather strapping is kept close to
the center of the room, adjacent to a low partition wall.
• Along the wall one finds several earthen clay pots of different sizes.
• A built–in grindstone is always included in the basic plan.
Internal Arrangement

40. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Oromo
Plan of the Oromo house

41. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Amhara
• The people of Amhara inhabit the temperate highland massif in the
northern and central regions of Ethiopia.
• The people depend on their living by farming.
• Pattern of their settlement is governed by the farming economy and the
mountainous region they occupy.
• Houses are placed on elevated stony sites and land less suited for farming,
to be protected from the flood.

42. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Amhara
• The traditional peasant house is rounded with a conical roof
supported by a pole that rises in the center.
• The houses are built of either stone or wood depending on which
material is found in abundance in a particular area.
• Circular or elliptical stone house has a wall height of about 1.5 m and
occupies the middle of the compound.

43. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Amhara
• The stone wall is plastered with mud from the inside and outside.
• a two-story watch tower is built as an entrance gate to the
compound.
• One side support of the tower is designed as a grain store concealed
at the lower level.

44. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Amhara

45. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Amhara

46. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Gurage
• The Gurage house type prevails throughout four sub-provinces of
central Ethiopia, where the Gurage people live.
• The Gurage are industrious people but a large number have had to
migrate to Addis Ababa to search for employment.
• Their house looks remarkably alike due to uniformity in detail
construction treatments.

47. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Gurage
Village Setting
• A typical Gurage village has rows of “Enset” plants popularly known as “false
bananas” around each house.
• “Enset” provides livelihood as well as a secondary building material for the
house.
• Where there is more than one hut, each unit is used for distinct a purpose.
1. Xarar ______for sleeping
2. Gwea _____ for cooking and keeping cattle
3. Zarar ______ everyday living room

48. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Gurage
Construction Method
• Site clear
• Leveling and damping (if necessary)
• Setting out is carried out using a peg, rope and sharp stick or hand
saw.
• poles along the perimeter are erected
• The roof frame is particularly assembled on the ground and then
lifted into position for completion.

49. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Gurage
Construction of the house is carried out in collaboration, but
particular parts need special craftsmen.
• Door framing
• Central supporting pole
• Roof supporting struts
• Thatching

50. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Gurage
Predominating materials for the roof frame are:
• Split wood either red eucalyptus or tid (Juniperus procera)
• Bamboo
• Tying rope made from “Enset”
Vertical pillars of the house are made of tid (juniperus)

51. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Gurage

52. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Gurage
• Very little mud plaster is used in Gurage house just to fill
unavoidable voids between split wood.
• The horizontal rings of the wall framework are made from split
bamboo and they are usually placed at interval of no more than
30cm.
• Height of the wall 2m – 2.5m

53. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Chencha And Sidamo
• These two types of houses are representative of the woven type.
• They are typically several variations of hemispherical houses found in
many parts of Ethiopia.
• Suggested as the natural abodes of people who make their living by
hunting and trapping.

54. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Chencha
• Is found in a small relatively high area west of lake Margarita.
• Chencha and its surrounding are the home of Dorze tribe, an
industrious people renowned for their skill in weaving.
• Height of the hut is 6m – 8m
• As a rule the height of the house is reportedly reduced by about
20cm every four years.

55. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Chencha
Method of construction
• A circle is drawn on leveled ground outlining the outer sections of the
wall.
• On the circle split bamboo pieces are driven into the ground,
approximately 10cm apart.
• A series of horizontal rings is then interlocked b/n the vertical pieces.
• Diameter of the horizontal ring is gradually reduced until it almost closes
at the top of the hut.

56. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Chencha
Chencha house under construction

57. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Chencha
• Average diameter of the hut is 7m – 8m for all accommodations
• The hut has two distinct areas separated by bamboo partition
approximately 2m high.
• The back portion serves as store and front portion serve to carry out
other activities.

58. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Chencha
•Completed woven dome and
the “nose” serve as an
entrance hall to the house.

59. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Chencha
Completed Chencha house

60. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Sidamo
• Is found in a small area around the town of Agereselam on the high
plateau east of lake Margarita.
• The houses found corresponds very close to the area where bamboo
grows.
• Sidamo house is woven as that of chencha house except the central
pole and wicker-work or water proofing method

61. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Sidamo
Plan,
elevation &
section of
Sidamo
house

62. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
Vernacular houses of Sidamo
Completed Sidamo bamboo house
Sidamo house under construction

63. By - Alemseged Y.
2015 E.C
.
THANK YOU!