How can we learn about resourcefulness from vernacular architecture? The Global Footprint Network has calculated what resources we have (left) and the rate at which we should be using them. This year, we exceeded our yearly quota within 7 months, consuming our natural resources 1.7 times faster than the earth’s ecosystems can replenish them. Unfortunately, we’ve been overshooting these targets since the 1970s. But this year, we did it quicker than ever before. In light of this, vernacular building technologies (and their adaptations over time) are referenced so that we may expand upon our understanding of localised strategies towards resource management. 

Secondly, how can we challenge notions of domesticity and the requirements of a 'standard home' through the study of vernacular living systems? Daily living consolidates a set of inputs and outputs that accommodate our routines and desires. We need to eat, drink, sleep, cleanse and socialise, and we need shelter from the elements. These inputs and outputs form a series of systems that we can analyse, untangle, understand and ultimately redesign. The cluster aims to research vernacular living as a base from which we may challenge our personal understandings of 'home' and 'community', applying these insights to the design of new housing typologies for Bangkok.