vernacular architecture, Common domestic architecture of a region, usually far simpler than what the technology of the time is capable of maintaining. In highly industrialized countries such as the U.S., for example, barns are still being built according to a design employed in Europe in the 1st millennium bc. Vernacular structures are characterized by inexpensive materials and straightforwardly utilitarian design.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.
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