The Primitive Hut

The Primitive Hut as an architectural theory was brought to life over the mid-1700s till the mid-1800s, theorised in particular by abbé Marc-Antoine Laugier.

An illustration of the primitive hut by Charles Dominique Eisen was the frontispiece for the second edition of Laugier's Essay on Architecture (1755).

The frontispiece was arguably one of the most famous images in the history of architecture; it helped to make the essay more accessible and consequently it was more widely received by the public.

In the image a young woman who personifies architecture draws the attention of an angelic child towards the primitive hut.

Laugier believed that the model of the primitive man's hut provided the ideal principles for architecture or any structure.

"[1] To Laugier, these articles emphasised the fundamental components of a building and what he identifies as their core necessities - that is, The Primitive Hut model.

Laugier used the frontispiece to illustrate that typically architecture needs only three main elements, the free-standing columns, horizontal beams (entablature), and a simple pediment (the triangular end of a pitched roof).

Laugier also noted that the deviation or misuse of the principles lead to inherent faults in typical buildings and in architectural practice.

In the primitive hut, the horizontal beam was supported by tree trunks planted upright in the ground and the roof was sloped to shed rainwater.

The essay advocates that architecture approach perfection through the search for absolute beauty, specifically by returning to the hypothetical original hut as a model for building.

Unlike Laugier, Gottfried Semper goes back to this point in his book The Four Elements of Architecture when explaining the origin of building, arguing that it was a matter of human beings gathering around a fire.

The Primitive Hut concept also suggests that the natural environment provides the solutions for this ideal architectural form.