Return to the Native Earth: Historical Analysis of Foreign Influences on Traditional Architecture in Burkina Faso

Lodin de Miguel, Maria, Vegas, Fernando, Mileto, Camilla and García-Soriano, Lidia (2021) Return to the Native Earth: Historical Analysis of Foreign Influences on Traditional Architecture in Burkina Faso. Sustainability, 13 (2). pp. 1-24. ISSN 2071-1050 [Article]

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Abstract (in English)

Learning from the sustainability of traditional architecture, as a solution to the current ecological crisis, seems more challenging in societies where a cultural imposition has occurred. In Burkina Faso, vernacular architecture has experienced a process of transformation, still in course, relying heavily on foreign resources and losing its adaptation to environmental conditions. As in other contexts, the dynamics of transformation are being examined. Joining this line of work, this research aims to explain the causes of the current local perception of traditional building techniques in Burkina Faso in order to consider how a sustainable development of its architecture would be possible. To this end, a historical analysis is conducted by reviewing the literature, consulting historical documents and collecting data during two stays in 2018. The study shows how earth has ceased to be appreciated by progressively becoming associated with “non-definitive constructions”; this perception is due to the narratives put forward by foreign agents since the end of the 19th century. The sustainable development of architecture in Burkina Faso seems to demand a return to the use of earth, local resource par excellence, but this will only be possible if the devaluation of this building material is reversed.

Item Type:	Article
Authors:	Authors Email Lodin de Miguel, Maria UNSPECIFIED Vegas, Fernando UNSPECIFIED Mileto, Camilla UNSPECIFIED García-Soriano, Lidia UNSPECIFIED
Languages:	English
Keywords:	vernacular architecture; local materials; cooperation
Subjects:	C.ARCHITECTURE > 02. Building typologies C.ARCHITECTURE > 04. Building materials C.ARCHITECTURE > 05. Building techniques
Volume:	13
Number:	2
ISSN:	2071-1050
Depositing User:	Prof camilla mileto
Date Deposited:	01 Apr 2022 20:28
Last Modified:	01 Apr 2022 20:28
URI:	https://openarchive.icomos.org/id/eprint/2611

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