| This thesis examines the building stock of owner-built homes on Redlands Mesa, Colorado, and places the buildings in historical, social, and environmental contexts. Also referred to as "hippie houses," these dwellings are almost without fail built by the occupants.;The founding premise of the Vernacular Architecture Studies movement is to study ordinary buildings and landscapes to better understand the lives and belief systems of the people who use and used the examined spaces. My thesis tests this premise by examining the motives and belief systems of the hippies of Redlands Mesa as they influence the design and creation of buildings and landscapes. In choosing a group of people that continue alter the buildings and landscapes they inhabit I am able to identify the contradictions between the envisioned and realized cultural landscape. Finally, in examining individuals that have inhabited and altered the same spaces for an extended period of time I am able to show how the evolution of belief systems is reflected in the built environment.;Between site visits, personal interviews, and theoretical readings my thesis creates a detailed analysis of Redlands Mesa hippie housing that can be placed in the broader context of the hippie movement and of the folk building tradition. |
