ARCHITECT Tuesday - What is "Vernacular"?

Architectural vernacular is not a defined style or one type of architecture.

In the world of residential design, it is a term used to describe a home that seems to have been built in direct response to its surrounding environment and is reflective of the local culture.

A brightly painted farmstead in Glaumbær, Iceland, contrasts with verdant landscape. Photograph by Federica Gentile, Getty Images

Fernery at ‘The Hollow,’ Mackay, ca. 1877, by Edmund Rawson.

Shirakawago in Gifu Pref,Japan. Shirakawago include Japanese World Heritage site Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama.