Gurage vernacular architecture presentation.pptx

This presentation provides an in-depth exploration of Gurage houses, emphasizing their unique architectural features and cultural significance. It begins with a brief introduction to key terminology related to Gurage houses, setting the stage for a comprehensive discussion on their construction methods. The presentation delves into the materials and techniques traditionally used in building these structures, highlighting how they reflect the local environment and resources.

Furthermore, it addresses the role of Gurage houses in promoting sustainability. By examining their design and functionality, the presentation illustrates how these homes contribute to environmentally friendly practices and support the community's cultural heritage. Overall, this overview aims to enhance understanding of Gurage houses and their importance in both architectural and ecological contexts.

1. Theory of architecture DEPARTMENT OF ADT GURAGE HOUSES NON TEACHING SECTION-1 SUBMITTED TO: Mr. TSEGAYE ZAFU

2. YOUR TITLE GOES HERE SUBTITLE GOES HERE 2 Gurage VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE PRESENTATION CONTENTS LOCATION CULTURE HOUSE MAKING PROCESS FLOOR PLANS AND ELEVATION VILLAGE SETTING MATERIALS USED INTERIOR CONCLUSION

3. “SKILLED TRADERS” – NEGA MEZLEKIA GURAGE 3

4. LOCATION Gurage peoples are a  Semitic -speaking ethnic group inhabiting  Ethiopia They inhabit the  Gurage Zone , a fertile, semi-mountainous region in central Ethiopia, about 125 kilometers southwest of  Addis Ababa , bordering the  Awash River  in the north, the  Gibe River , a tributary of the  Omo River , to the southwest, and  Hora- Dambal  in the east. The principal crop of the Gurage is  ensete  (also "false banana plant"). This has a massive stem that grows underground and is involved in every aspect of Gurage life. 4

5. Life and culture Agriculture : The Gurage are primarily agriculturalists, and farming is an integral part of their culture and livelihood. Social organization : Gurage society is organized into clans and lineages. Each clan has its own territory, and descent is traced through the male line. And judging system called “ ye joka ” Traditional housing : Traditional Gurage houses are typically round or rectangular with thatched roofs made from grass or leaves. The walls are constructed using mud or woven bamboo. 5

6. DIGGING , WALLS THEN COLUMN AND ROOFING HOUSE MAKING 6

7. INTRODUCTION Gurage houses encompass all the essential elements found in houses now a days. And one thing that is very amazing about their architecture is that they don’t use any nails for the structures to be erected However, they differ from modern construction methods in that the walls are erected before the columns, as opposed to the conventional sequence of foundation, columns, and then walls. The construction process involves a collaborative effort, and also require the expertise of skilled craftsmen. 7

8. Continued… Construction of the house is carried out in collaboration, but particular parts need special crafts men. Starting from the site clearing it is made in group, which makes their work easy even though the house making needs details and hard to install. Door framing Central supporting pole Roof supporting struts and thatching needs the special craftsmen to work 8

9. SITE CLEARING AND EXCAVATION Is the first step in the construction of Gurage houses. Clearing the site would make the construction easy and levelling the site is also included in the process. ( ሼት ይመወርጪ ). The second step is excavating (digging) in circle (use traditional measurement), for the walls to be inserted and the center for the pillars even though the pillars are inserted later. 9

10. Walls and openings The walls in which the houses are made of is called “ Gordera ” or “ Zhemar ” (is made from a strong eucalyptus tree, this is inserted to the holes dug or excavated earlier that act as a wall and also a support for the whole Gojo house. The gordera is choosen because the wood is long lasting without decaying and it is cut in perfect half before it is inserted to the holes. 10

11. Continued… And on top of that bamboo, the gordera is covered by a bamboo on the outside horizontally which creates a beautiful design and also gives a stronger support for the wall. The gordera and the bamboo are tied with a rope like object called “ kacha ” or “ abita ” or “ weficho ”. (are found from stem of an enset and pine trees , will be later discussed .) And on the interior the walls are finished by mud and has additional decorating materials on the inside. 11

12. Continued… Windows : 2 windows are often built on the house but the number can increase with the functions. And the windows are made of wood board with opening. Door: like the windows the doors are also made from wood board and it is placed in front of the pillar on the center of the circle. The doors are often named as “ giye qerqer ” or “ a door that is positioned to prevent dogs from entering” and the doors are not tall as the doors now rather they are short and the opening make it easy to see what’s inside. 12

13. Pillar and roof As father is the head of the family and the pillar is the head of the house. Pillar : The pillar is also named as “ Echba ” or “Cheban” found on the very center of the house which supports the roof. “ Wega ” : are supporting members made of timber that connects and holds the roof and pillar together. This structure is connected to the pillar not with a nail rather with a hole dug through the pillar and spreads out through the entire ceiling. 13 ECHBA WEGA

14. CONTINUED… Mothers often utilize the weka as a covert storage space for personal belongings. The roof is constructed using sturdy timber in a circular shape, securely linked to both the walls and the roof for added stability. To prevent sunlight and rain from seeping through, dry grasses are placed atop the timber roof. The roof is connected to the wall, known as zhemar , using abita , and its width surpasses the wall's circular diameter to prevent rainwater from entering the house. 14

15. OPEN FLOOR PLANS, DECORATIVE INTERIORS AND “THE GORDET” Interior 15 “ From all parts of the house, Qaqet is the best .” Implies that qaqet is the room that is loved the most in their tradition.

16. interior The interior is decorated with colorful decorative materials but, comparing to the houses now a days there is a limited amount of sunlight entering to the house. Rooms often don’t have partitions. And because of the height of the ceiling there is ample circulation of air throughout the house. Most of Gurage houses have the same floor plans and the internal partitions in the house doesn’t reach to the roof, have the height of the exterior walls. 16

17. THE GORDET Is the traditional fire place (chimney), found near the pillar. It is designed and made entirely out of mud. Once the mud is ready after kneaded until it is pliable and then it is molded into beautiful designs. Then a hole is dug, then it will be a pit that is flattened with soil and crammed up evenly and mud and animal dung is molded and placed on top of that. 17

18. Continued… There is a hole on the center of the gordet which is used to store the ember over night and used for another day. And the fire they get on the next day is known as “ yesheswe esat ”. The fire is stored on the hole within a pot called “ Gonzia ” 18

19. rooms Even though it is an open floor plan there are rooms and spaces which divide the sleeping, living and spaces for the cattle. Living room : the living room includes the place where they eat, the Gordet and the a place for the guest to rest ( Qaqet ). Bedroom : usually the bedroom has no partitions that clearly defines the space but sometimes they use curtains or partitions to define the space of the bedroom. 19

20. CONTINUED… The rooms mentioned in the previous slide take up over 50% of the interior space of the house, while the remaining portion is dedicated to a specific room for cattle. Historically, the cattle room was located at the back of the house without any clear separation from the living area, but nowadays there is a wooden partition in place. This room also serves as a small kitchen for simple household tasks, although the main kitchen is located in a separate area designated for that purpose. 20

21. CONTINUED… The room includes a sleeping area, a small gordet and a place where materials are stored inside. The sleeping area of the cattle is full of dry grass to make it comfortable for the cattle. is a sloppy area which is intentionally made to the to drain their manure and is used to make the gordet and other materials for the house hold by carefully molding them. There is a storage area above the barn “ Kote ” , “ ቆጥ ” or loft. It is mainly used for storing chopped wood when Meskel or Arefa is coming. 21

22. Floor plan of gurage houses Gurage has mainly 3 rooms without partitions between them but now a days they have partitions between the living room and the cattle room to avoid the smell coming. 1. Gader and derar : room for cooking and cattle keeping, found on the left side of the house. 2.qaqet: the main living room. 3. bedroom 22

23. Elevation and section Very little mud plaster is used in gurage house just to fill unavoidable voids between split wood. The horizontal rings of the wall frame work are made from split bamboo and they usually placed at interval of not more than 30cm The height of the wall is is 2-2.5 m long and the pillar is over the double of the height of the wall. 23

24. flooring There is no floor finishing like cement and tiles on the floor but instead they use “Jibe” as a flooring, made of weficho and qacha . And this jibe is not washed by water. Yewefonche jibe : the jibe near the entrance. Yeqaqet jibe : the jibe on the qaqet or living room and it is thin and also has its own beautiful design that differs from the others. Yechbe jibe : the jibe near the pillar. 24

25. Unique material used by gurage people for the construction are discussed Materials used 25 Enset is the heart beat for the people, almost everything include enset directly or indirectly.

26. Materials There are lots of materials used in the processes of building houses in gurage . Abita : is a vine string, that is used as a rope, it is found from the plants in the forest mainly used to tie the Qerkeha running through the wall, not only abita is used for house making it is also used in bridge making. Weficho : together with abita it is used to tie the bamboo on the wall and the roof with the wall. Kacha : It is a durable and resilient material derived from the enset plant, commonly employed as a cordage with exceptional tensile strength and resistance to breakage. 26

27. Continued… Weisa : a small axe used for carving the gordera for the roof exactly to be placed on the top Maresha : traditional farming material used for digging holes for the placement of the gordera . Qerkeha (Bamboo) : a flexible, traditional bamboo mats used as walls, paneling, or wall cladding. Cattle dung : it is used together with mud for the plastering of the walls in the interiors, to smoothen the floor and the gordet . 27

28. Village setting Jefore : is the name for the avenue, it is a place where several events takes place. It could be conciliation, meditation, wedding or even horse riding. All the houses in gurage have enset in their backyards, which is also called false banana The enset provides livelihood as well as a secondary building material for the house. 28

29. THANK YOU Group Members Abenezer Temesgen Kidist Mulat Mitiku Amare Samuel Ababaw Henok Mesele