Culture into Architecture: Amalau - Designing A Samoan Village for the Future
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2011-05
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University of Hawaii at Manoa
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According to Samoan oral tradition, Samoan architecture has existed since the beginning of time. Yet information on this subject is limited, and must be sought out by the determined researcher. This thesis synthesizes research on sustainability, regionalism, culture, and lifestyle at the residential scale, and unites the past, present, and future of Samoan architectural design in a concept home designed for a specific Samoan family. We have begun to realize that, in order to survive in this changing world, we must change the ways in which we design, build, and live. This thesis explores the regionalism of the Samoan islands in terms of Samoans’ everyday lives, and in terms of the core values (God, faith, family, respect, honor, the church, the matai (chief) system) in which Samoan life is rooted. It explores traditional Samoan building methods, and maps their changes through time. It considers sustainability, and how it has affected building materials and techniques. Finally, it examines the cultural and social systems that define Samoan society and Samoan architecture. The result is a prototypical concept model for a new type of village and a culturally sensitive home for a Samoan family. It aims to represent all aspects of Samoan culture (past, present, and future), and to accommodate the Samoan way of life. One that encompasses their regional systems, the cultural aspects of Samoan culture that help to dictate the uses, forms and purposes of architecture and one that adjusts to the Samoan lifestyle and way of life that is so lovingly, faithfully and greatly respected. A design that brings together the past, the present and the future of Samoan architectural design while keeping true to the principal values on which the first fale was built, the design not only represents the culture, but it also looks toward a sustainable future and a better way of life for future generations in the Samoan islands.
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160 pages
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