Sociocultural significance of vernacular housing in the reconstruction in front of seismic phenomena

Abstract

Metepec is located in the municipality of Ocuituco, in the state of Morelos. It is identified by its vernacular adobe housings; the traditional constructive system and the spaces according to the inhabitant’s needs and ways of life. On September 19, 2017, an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on Richter scale was registered in the entity, causing breaks and collapses in housings of this locality, both in the ones constructed with adobe and with industrialized materials. Nevertheless, the ignorance of the characteristics of the vernacular architecture, leads to a vague and underestimating perception of it in the phase of evaluation and reconstruction. This generates a simulation of operations aimed to the reconstruction by governmental institutions that also attend external interests. Given this situation, this work looks forward to enhance the importance of the sociocultural dimension in the spatial organization and the constructive system of the vernacular adobe housing with the purpose of considering these factors in the reconstruction proposals. The study is conducted from an approach of mixed investigation. In the sociocultural context, the daily activities of the family and the use of the spaces are identified; in the architectural, the spatial characteristics and the space organization that entail relating the influence of these daily activities in the spatial organization of the housing. The knowledge and recognition of these sociocultural elements can serve as basis to guide the works in the phases of evaluation and reconstruction of the vernacular housing in the presence of sismic phenomena.