Qualities and Values of Rural Vernacular Architecture: by Way of a Decalogue

Recognising that something has value means that the qualities defining it hold interest or significance for an individual or a group. Research begins by constructing the state of the question, and the same applies to the act of valorising rural vernacular architecture. These are pre-industrial architectures whose obsolescence often leads to abandonment and ruin. Thus, the act of valorisation becomes the first step in protecting these architectures. To this end, it is important to approach the most significant reflections made on this subject within the academic field, reviewing precedents to better understand and delve deeper into the nature of these architectures and their qualification. This theoretical foundation, combined with research and fieldwork focused on rural and vernacular architectural environments, will validate the architectural considerations proposed in this study, which is the main objective of this work. Since the early 20th century, many architects have investigated and acknowledged the values of vernacular and rural architecture. However, it is especially in recent decades that more numerous studies have been conducted, forming a transdisciplinary network of knowledge that elevates the recognition of these small constructions and intellectualises their values and contributions to contemporary times. From this foundation, a decalogue of values or architectural qualities inherent in rural, productive, and small-scale vernacular constructions is distilled, which will be explained in this text, include: functionality, sustainability, territorial positioning, integration and adaptability, repetition and transmissibility, infrastructural value, landscape value, ethnographic and identity value, and didactic value.