Analysis of the Sustainability Elements of Vernacular Architecture in Northern Togo: The Case of the Kara Region

Abstract

For a considerable amount of time, vernacular practices in the Kara Region have resisted external influences. However, they are now confronted with profound changes that are forcing local populations to alter their lifestyle. This study evaluates the sustainability of vernacular buildings and analyzes the causes and consequences of changes in such architecture in the Kara Region. In this context, it focuses on the Kabiyè and Nawdeba peoples, who are the major ethnic groups in the Region. Through a qualitative approach essentially based on the exploration of the existing literature, focus groups with populations, interviews with professionals and a series of surveys on 125 households in the settlements visited, this study highlights the difficulties of people in preserving their architectural identity in favor of imported architectural models. It also reveals that the evolution of vernacular construction practices, although it is a response to certain needs of the population, generates environmental and sociocultural problems. Thus, sustainable architecture in this region requires an update of vernacular practices to better adapt to the needs of local populations.