Date: Thu, 18 Dec 1997 02:35:24 +0100
From: negenter-AT-worldcom.ch (Nold Egenter)
Subject: NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA PUBLISHED



THE WORLD'S FIRST ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE PEOPLE

One of the most important events in the history of recent research into the
wider horizons of architecture is  doubtless the  publication of Paul
Oliver's "Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World". The
successful publication was celebrated at the RIBA-building, Portland Place,
London, Dec. 4, 1997.

Paul Oliver's encyclopedia  documents the results of an entirely new type
of global architectural research which had developed over the last 2 -3
decades. Over 750 specialists from more than 80 countries contributed to
it. Over approximately 2500 pages in 3 volumes it unites more than 1700
photographs and 1000 line drawings including plans, diagrams,
orthographical and computer generated projections. In addition there are 80
regional maps.

The first volume is essentially theoretical, giving more than 100
approaches and concepts. Volumes 2 and 3 geographically document
traditional architecture globally in 7 intercontinental main areas and
nearly 100 subzones. Doubtless this is the first time we get such a
complete and dense information about how the non-urban surface of the earth
is populated in regard to traditional housing. Thus, with its multilayered
grid structure covering cultural, geographical, climatic and environmental
aspects, this encyclopedia allows a highly complex and at the same time
fairly complete image of a phenomenon  greatly neglected by the disciplines
of architecture as well as ethnology. This interdisciplinary "two in one"
of 'vernacular architecture'  and 'architectural ethnology'  may explain
the importance of this encyclopedia for  architectural research.

In the framework of architecture Paul Oliver's encyclopedia opens the
awareness, that the content of the term architecture had conventionally
been extremely one sided, being restricted on aesthetically preselected
samples of Euro-mediterranen (and other) historical, or 'high'
architectures (key words: 'pyramids, temples, palaces and cathedrals') thus
greatly neglecting a huge wealth of traditional architectural forms
diffused over centuries all over the world. Evidently architectural
'theories' were greatly handicapped by this lack of knowledge and projected
Euro-Western functionalistic rationalisms onto non EuroWestern cultures
(architectural colonialism). This will change now. Architects of many
regions of the world will become aware that there are many other ways to
conceive architecture beyond EuroWestern rationalisms.

In view of the humanities and particularly in regard to ethnology, Paul
Oliver's encyclopedia provides a full fledged 'dictionary of architectural
ethnology' including agrarian house traditions conventionally dealt with by
folklore studies of various countries. The complexity of the presentation
in this encyclopedia and, particularly the many approaches outlined in the
first volume, may convince many an ethnologist, that the human dwelling may
be a valuable and important  source which expresses  many aspects of human
life.

With its additional comparative lexicon of 500 words (French, German,
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic), its glossary of over 1200
architectural and anthropological terms, and with its largest bibliography
on the subject today, including over 9000 references, it may become a
standard work for many interested in architectural research: architects,
anthropologists, geographers, ethnologists, folklorists, planners,
historians and conservationalists.

Remember the French 'encyclopédistes' (d'Alembert, Diderot, in
collaboration with Rousseau, Voltaire, Grimm, Holbach etc.) and their
impacts on what is called "enlightenment" in European thought? It may well
be possible that Paul Oliver's encyclopedia will have impacts of
'enlightenment' on the present "postmedieval myth of the profaned creator
genius" still violently virulent in post modern architecture. And, maybe he
will be considered as the "architectural encyclopedist" by a new
'Neohumanism' in the architecture of the 21st century.

___________________________________________________________

Paul Oliver (ed.)

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF THE WORLD
219 x 276 mm; ca. 2'500 pp. 1'700 halftones, 1'000 line drawings, 80 maps
ISBN: 0-521-56422-0
3 volumes hardback =A3 695.-- / $ 900.-
___________________________________________________________

=46or more informations (contents of vol. 1-3) see the site of Cambridge
University Press:
http://www.cup.org/Books/oliver/oliver.html
Using PDF format (Adobe Acrobat), you can also download a copy of the
leaflet distributed by Cambridge University Press:
http://home.worldcom.ch/~negenter  (see file "Reviews")

> > > > > > > > > > See our INTERNET-Homepage: http://home.worldcom.ch/~negenter

Nold Egenter
DOFSBT, Chorgasse 19
CH-8001 Zuerich, Switzerland
Tel.: +41-1-2516075
=46x:  +41-21-3231707
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