What is African traditional architecture?

What is African traditional architecture?

A common theme in traditional African architecture is the use of fractal scaling: small parts of the structure tend to look similar to larger parts, such as a circular village made of circular houses.

What is the traditional techniques of architecture?

Round Arch creates a tunnel like structure called a barrel vault. -A Vault is a curved ceiling or roof structure, made of bricks, blocks, or stone. -Dome is an arch rotated 180 degrees on its vertical axis.

What was the architecture in ancient Africa?

The earliest African dwellings were carved out of solid rock. Later dwellings were constructed of animal skins, and still later, wattle and daub, a framework of woven sticks covered with a layer of mud to seal the dwelling from the elements.

What is traditional building design?

‘Traditional building’ is a similarly loose term, but such buildings are usually accepted as being those that date back to before the beginning of the 20th century when new materials and building techniques started to appear, particularly advances in concrete and brickwork.

What are the types of traditional construction?

Construction Types

• Brick and Block. In modern traditionally built houses the walls are built in two leaves.
• Timber frame. Open-Panel.
• Insulated Concrete Framework (ICF)
• Steel Framed Construction.
• Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS)
• Cob Construction.
• Straw Bale Construction.
• Non Structural / Infill System.

What is African indigenous architecture and design?

Thus, indigenous African architecture includes pyramids, temples, clay (adobe) structures, tent structures, huts made of grass and reeds, and a combination of multiple building materials, and the tectonics of each structure depended on its geographical location and the time in which it was conceived and produced.

How are African round huts built?

The huts can be built using mud, cow spillings, bricks or grass in some cases. A new mud hut will last 1-2 years, depending on the amount of rain and erosion. The huts were built so they could be loosely clustered around open spaces, which provided ventilation and breezes, in order to provide comfort in the tropics.

What are the characteristics of African architecture?

The characteristic settlement form in western Africa is the compound, a cluster of units linked by walls. Many compounds are circular in plan, but others, conditioned sometimes by the uneven terrain, are more complex. Earthen wall and floor surfaces are plastered smooth and dried to a rocklike hardness.

What is African vernacular architecture?

Vernacular architecture is composed of local materials and derived from local customs and techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. But vernacular architecture in most (if not all) African countries is disappearing, being abandoned for Western materials and techniques.

What is traditional architecture?

Traditional architecture is that way of building which makes serious use of the familiar symbolic forms of a particular culture of a particular people in a particular place.

What are some characteristics of indigenous African architecture?

How do you make a Zulu hut?

The bricks are made by mixing clay and water. The walls are then plastered with mud. Once the walls are dry, wooden poles are used as struts to form a frame for the roof. The frame is then covered with layers of thatch grass.

How are rondavels built?

The rondavel’s walls are often constructed from stones. The mortar may consist of sand, soil, or some combinations of these mixed with dung. The floor is finished with a processed dung mixture to make it smooth. The roof braces of a rondavel are made out of tree limbs, which have been harvested and cut to length.

What was the first building in Africa?

Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt (2667–2648 BC) Finally, the oldest building still standing in Africa is the original Egyptian pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser.