21st Century Vernacular

Regionalism, as we know, is a concept that tries to balance out local context and Global modernity. We all know that Vernacular methods are sustainable and will outshine modern techniques and styles in using resources during and after construction. But, Modern day buildings are built to norms that are pre-dictated. These norms change every day after every accident or every lawsuit. There is little room for vernacular methods and strategies to survive within today's standards, if not any. 

For example, a building stairwell could be designed to be open to the sky. It is a social part of any building and doesn't have to be enclosed. But the fire code requires it to be enclosed and fire rated. This restricts the percentage of openings you can have in the stairwell. Like this example of a minor element in a building, the holistic built environment faces the same intensity of restrictions from different sources. These vernacular methods that we rarely find have made their way into the 21st century by negotiating with universal techniques. To conclude my writing, Vernacular is on the verge of extinction and can only revamp itself by adapting to Universal/global methods.