Building vernacular, building sustainable. Case studies of contemporary architecture

International audienceOver the last few years the number of architects engaged in the search for solutions to address our planet’s critical situation, has been happily increasing. While most of the research has taken the path of innovative technology, CRAterre and other teams have turned towards the knowledge that each culture has developed over the centuries to extract the intelligence it can provide in terms of sustainability.This paper presents two buildings that have drawn inspiration from local heritage, one in Albreda, The Gambia, and the second in Kilwa, Tanzania. Both buildings are tourist information centres connected to World Heritage Sites. They aim to demonstrate how vernacular architecture contributes to socio-economic development while protecting cultural landscapes. The direct involvement of local communities promotes greater collective awareness of the cultural and natural values. This idea applies not only to the construction process, but also to the design stage as well. In both cases CRAterre organised a participatory design workshop with local craftspeople and tourist guides, who went round the respective villages in search of clever architectural features before deciding which materials and spaces they would like to have in their new buildings