A is for Architecture Podcast Bob Brown: Vernacular architecture, marginal voices and identity.
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Oct 11, 2021 In this conversation, Professor Bob Brown, an esteemed architecture educator and practitioner, delves deep into the world of vernacular architecture. He emphasizes the importance of community engagement, sharing insights from his work in India and Africa. Bob challenges rigid definitions of 'vernacular' and celebrates its hybrid nature. He advocates for valuing everyday builders over architects while stressing the need for architects to design flexibly for real-life use. His ideas also touch on critical pedagogy, encouraging students to retain their unique voices in a profession that often pressures conformity.
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Profession Draws Exclusionary Circle
- Architectural institutions define a professional “circle” that often excludes vernacular work despite its creativity.
- Bob Brown argues we should value everyday, non-architect-designed buildings as architecture too.
Secondment Led To Informal-Settlement Work
- Bob Brown described being seconded to Maharashtra and then invited to work with informal-settlement architects during an election pause.
- That detour launched his sustained engagement with community-led practice in India and Africa.
Vernacular Is Fluid And Hybrid
- Brown resists neat definitions of 'vernacular' and stresses hybridity and ongoing exchange of ideas.
- He notes most UK buildings are built without architects, highlighting permeable boundaries between vernacular and professional work.
