FOLK ARCHITECTURE IN NORTH AMERICA

Every folk culture produces a highly distinctive landscape. One of the most visible aspects of these landscapes is folk architecture. These traditional buildings illustrate the theme of folk cultural landscape. Folk architecture springs not from the drafting tables of professional architects but from the collective memory of groups of a people (Figure 2.46). Material composition, floor plan, and layout are important ingredients of folk architecture, but numerous other characteristics help classify farmsteads and dwellings. The form or shape of the roof, the placement of the chimney, and a building’s location and orientation in the physical environment are important classifying criteria as well.