Vernacular Architecture in the Himalayan Region between between China and India. Documentation of an endangered architectural tradition

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Peter Herrle
• Subject Area: Architecture, Building and Construction History, Construction Research, Sustainable Building Technology
• Term: from 2011 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 189283257

The documentation of vernacular farmhouses in the Himalayan Region deserves special attention: not only do they represent the most widespread authentic cultural asset of Tibetan culture, they are also a rapidly vanishing species. In contrast to religious buildings such as monasteries and temples that have attracted a huge amount of international attention and academic research, vernacular farmhouses have been grossly neglected. A proper documentation seems urgent not only because of the architectural value of vernacular architecture but also because, with increasing modernization, even remote areas experience rapid changes in terms of accessibility, building materials, values, styles etc. While this heritage endured the change of political systems, waves of migration, wars and the influence of competing cultural values in the past, it is now in some regions (such as Qinghai and the Tibet Autonomous Region) not far from becoming extinct. The Research Project aims to capture the richness and diversity of Tibetan vernacular farmhouse architecture by documenting selected buildings in a cross-country approach. Typical buildings in Tibetan Autonomous Region (China), Qinghai Province of China (with parts of former Amdo), Sichuan Province of China (with parts of former Kham), Nepal (Dolpo and Khumbu), Ladakh (India), and Bhutan are surveyed (measured) and documented. Drawings are complemented by interviews on the historical and social contexts, and an exploration of the symbolic and anthropological aspects of traditional building and craftsmanship. The project is meant as a contribution i) to a typology of vernacular farm houses in the Himalayan region, ii) to a better understanding of construction methods and iii) to the exploration of the cultural and religious contexts of those buildings. The Research Project will also contribute to a better understanding of what may be called a traditional 'ecology' of building that is based on an intricate balance of locally available resources, climatic conditions, investment and the deriving social, economic and cultural benefits.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants