Identifying and documenting the Traras mountains(Northwest-Algeria) rural heritage architectural features: an architectural survey.

Abstract

In the extreme northwest of the Algerian territory the Traras Mountain the vernacular architecture of the houses is facing natural and human threats. with its loss, a synthesis of traditional rural life, imminent. This article is aimed at identifying and recording the characteristics of traditional vernacular architecture in housing to safeguard the knowledge and promote community awareness with respect to this architectural resource, thereby providing a context for future conservation work. The study involved an architectural survey to identify and document the architectural resources of the Traras mountains vernacular rural buildings. The survey included collection of relevant historical and geographic information, building description and analysis together with other data relating to spatial and functional organisation, construction methods and materials. The final product of this study is a conservation‑support plan detailing all the characteristic features of the Traras mountains rural vernacular buildings.