VERNACULAR AND ENDOGENOUS PARAMETERS: REVISION OF THE MACHUPICCHU WALL AND THE ECOEARTH SANDWICH SYSTEM

Abstract

The study of vernacular construction systems as a means to develop coherent local contemporary alternatives consistent with local resources and cultural processes; the results are endogenous buildings that respond to the eminent global energy crisis. Confined earth construction systems with different structural forms have been used throughout Latin America, specifically in the Andes. With these criteria, the eco earth sandwich system, a confined earth wall with metal sheet containment, has been developed as an alternative wall system. Using local resources, materials, and workforce, The Con Lo Que Hay 14 (CLQH 14) workshop, which translates to “With What is Available, edition 14 workshop,” developed the eco earth sandwich for a small suburban community center in the Ecuadorian Andes, based on vernacular contained earth criteria. Through Arellano and Angel vernacular parameters, this study will evaluate Machu Picchu (Peru) walls with dirt nuclei protected by stone and the eco-earth sandwich system to depict their endogenous and vernacular coherence.