Vernacular Architecture Simplifies Sustainability
Since the invention and widespread use of air conditioning, sustainability has been treated as a list of add-ons: insulation, dual pane glazing, low flow toilets and photovoltaic arrays, all tacked into a building. Though these features improve efficiency, when sustainability is reduced to a checklist, it becomes superficial. True architectural sustainability goes deeper, embedding performance into the design intent of a building.
When sustainability strategies are integrated from the outset, they can inform architectural elements that not only increase efficiency but also add intrinsic value. Buildings that work with their environments feel more authentic because their performance isn’t imposed; it’s inherent, reflecting the enduring principles of building with, not against, climate.
Exposed masonry carries craft, durability and visual weight. Strategically placed, it also becomes a thermal tool, absorbing daytime heat and releasing it at night. In summer, its mass stabilizes interior temperatures. Though masonry often requires stronger foundations and skilled labor, when it performs, it earns its keep both functionally and aesthetically.
By creating a sense of place, buildings tend to fit into their communities better, helping to establish a sense of community aesthetic, and are less likely to get torn down and amended from inhabitant to inhabitant.
Like earthen and plant elements, ventilation also informs design, merging form and performance. Clerestory windows, high vents and openings designed for the stack effect let warm air rise and exit while pulling cooler air in below. The building breathes, reducing dependence on mechanical systems. This principle traces back to Roman baths and prairie barns, proof that responsive design has always been an architect’s job.
On the topic of fenestrations: overhangs, porches and deep windows operate with similar intelligence. When properly dimensioned, they block high summer sun but welcome low winter light. These moves depend on proportion and orientation, not technology. From Japanese engawa porches to Southern verandas and European arcades, shading has always balanced comfort and culture.
As wildfire and other natural disaster risks grow, resistance to these events must become as integral as comfort. Masonry, concrete and stucco walls double as thermal mass and fire barriers. Metal roofing offers ember protection and durability to a roof. Even defensible space, the buffer between structure and vegetation, can be intentional: gravel courtyards, stone terraces and low fuel native planting. When fire protection becomes form, beauty and resilience align.
Water is another element that when integrated into the design can create sonic and visual pleasure. Pools and channels aligned with prevailing winds cool air through evaporation, creating comfort without mechanical intervention. Courtyards and fountains once did the same in Mediterranean and desert climates, merging utility and aesthetics.
Rooflines can also harvest water for reuse, turning runoff into resources. Subtle slopes and hidden cisterns store rain for irrigation or drought relief, while pools and reservoirs can double as fire suppression features. When water systems are integrated rather than appended, they merge necessity and beauty, architecture as ecology.
These strategies aren’t extras; they are architecture itself. When performance is embedded in form, beauty emerges from how a building functions. Walls act as batteries, windows as lungs, trees as infrastructure, materials as protection. A well placed wall costs no more than a misplaced one, but its function adds to its value.
As we move deeper into the 21st century, these principles are more relevant than ever. Design must address not only aesthetics but the realities of resource scarcity, changing climate and technological evolution. The next era of architecture will merge timeless passive strategies with modern materials and tools, using data and craft together to create buildings that respond dynamically to their environments. The future of design is not about more, but about smarter, integrating intelligence, adaptability and locality into every element.
Vernacular architecture reminds us that sustainability was once instinct. As we face a warming world, rediscovering this logic is not nostalgia but necessity. The architecture of tomorrow must again live with its environment, not despite it. To build sustainably is to build intelligently, and that, after all, is the way of the build.
Rachel Shillander, R.A, AIA, is a Los Angeles, CA based artist and architect, focused on domestic architecture and construction. She may be reached at rachel@rachelshillander.com
This column is featured on our November issue of Builder and Developer.
