Greg Lomas marvels at 18th-century stone shelters in Italy, but derides a restaurant in south-west Africa

At Foster Lomas we are known for exploring the local architectural language. So in researching designs for Pollinaria, an artists鈥� hub near Rome, we were delighted to find the structures called tholoi.

These buildings are rustic shelters that are built using a technique similar to dry stone walling, but which twist up into domes. They have been in the Italian countryside for centuries and are very beautiful and functional - some of them are even two storeys high. They are very delicate and not many have survived intact. The government is trying to restore some of them.

We are hoping to incorporate designs inspired by these structures into the Pollinaria project as part of an effort to weave together old and new buildings on the site.

This relates to another project that we have worked on, this time reflecting a complete failure to tap into the local vernacular. It鈥檚 a restaurant in Namibia, which is shaped like a ship and, appropriately enough, called The Wreck. It鈥檚 got portholes and a prow and everything.

Apart from being simply horrible to look at, The Wreck is an example of bad environmental design: like much of the architecture around here, it鈥檚 very Mediterranean in style and is badly ventilated.

The problem is that airtight buildings are inappropriate for the constant 80% humidity on the coast in this part of the continent. It would be unbearable inside many of them were it not for air conditioning. And there is a lot of that in this part of the country.

When we came to designing our Vogelstrand House nearby, it was inspired by the air-permeable, local vernacular. We also used eucalyptus wood, which is very hard wearing and doesn鈥檛 rot. There鈥檚 more to vernacular architecture than simple aesthetic considerations.

Wonder

The tholoi of Abruzzo were built by shepherds seeking shelter during the 18th and 19th centuries. They are made using a technique similar to dry stone walling, placing one stone on another. They are similar to structures found in Puglia, Italy鈥檚 heel, and

The tholoi of Abruzzo were built by shepherds seeking shelter during the 18th and 19th centuries. They are made using a technique similar to dry stone walling, placing one stone on another. They are similar to structures found in Puglia, Italy鈥檚 heel, and some historians have theorised that shepherds borrowed the design while migrating flocks between the two areas.

Blunder

鈥淭he Wreck鈥� seafood restaurant was built in the nineties as part of a holiday hotel called Beach Lodge in Vogelstrand, Swakopmund, Namibia. Originally a German colony, Namibia shows the influence of its former occupants through both architecture and place

鈥淭he Wreck鈥� seafood restaurant was built in the nineties as part of a holiday hotel called Beach Lodge in Vogelstrand, Swakopmund, Namibia. Originally a German colony, Namibia shows the influence of its former occupants through both architecture and place names.

Greg Lomas is co-founder of London architect Foster Lomas