Best Vernacular

William Eggleston is an American photographer known for his groundbreaking use of color in everyday scenes. His work, particularly his 1976 Museum of Modern Art exhibition, significantly advanced the recognition of color photography as a legitimate form of fine art. He documented Southern life with...

Hassan Fathy (1903-1983) was an Egyptian architect whose work focused on sustainable housing solutions using vernacular materials like mudbrick. He pioneered innovative approaches to affordable architecture, particularly evident in the New Gourna village project initiated in 1945. His designs priori...

Robert Burns’s “Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect,” published in 1786, represents a pivotal moment in Scottish literary history. This collection showcases Burns's early work written primarily in the vernacular of his native Ayrshire. It established Burns as a major voice and profoundly influenc...

Ed Fella is a graphic designer known for his distinctive, often surreal and darkly humorous illustrations and typography, frequently incorporating elements of pop culture and anatomical detail in his work since the late 1980s.

Yasmeen Lari is a Pakistani architect who, upon qualifying in the early 1960s, became the country's first female architect. She practiced commercially in Karachi and designed notable modernist buildings before retiring from conventional practice. She later co-founded the Heritage Foundation of Pakis...

Cholly Atkins was an American choreographer primarily known for his innovative work blending tap dance with vocal performance. His unique style, rooted in vernacular traditions of the early to mid-20th century, explored complex rhythmic and expressive relationships between music and movement. He is...

Laurie Baker was an architect who developed innovative building techniques specifically suited to the tropical climate of Kerala, India. His work focused on utilizing locally sourced materials like brick and employing passive cooling strategies for affordable housing. He is particularly relevant to...

William Christenberry was a Southern American photographer known for his sustained investigation of rural landscapes and buildings. His work meticulously captured vernacular architecture—often revisiting locations over many years—creating a unique visual record of the region’s built environment. He...

The trulli of Alberobello are traditional dry-stone houses with conical roofs in southern Italy, forming a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

Gion A. Caminada is a Swiss architect based in the village of Vrin in the canton of Graubünden. He is known for timber buildings that adapt traditional Alpine construction methods to contemporary architectural purposes, working primarily in rural Swiss communities. Notable projects include the Stiva...