The faré, the traditional house
The traditional faré is made entirely of plant materials. The luxuriant fauna has made it possible to build these lightweight huts, which are very easy to erect. The faré is built on a vast plot of land abundantly planted with trees. Laid on the ground (except in the Marquesas, where they have a foundation, the pae pae), their framework is made of coconut trunks; the roof is made of woven pandanus leaves. There were several sizes of farés, depending on the wealth (or courage) of the owners or the use to which they were put. Chiefs used to have 40-meter-high farés, and today's fare potee is used for feasting. There were canoe sheds, meeting rooms 100 m long, and the faré taoto where communities slept together.
Living in a mild climate all year round, Polynesians build their homes according to a totally different concept to that of our homelands. Whereas in Europe and most other countries, the house groups all its functions under one roof in an enclosed property, the traditional Polynesian dwelling is made up of several farés, each with its own function in an open space. There's a faré for sleeping, another for cooking, a third for eating... all set in a lush, generous garden belonging to the whole clan, with no roads or axes organizing the whole, apart from the river or lagoon.
It should be noted that the natural materials used to build the farés would require a great deal of maintenance. The sun, wind and rain, as well as the presence of insects, meant that the inhabitants had to renew their houses regularly. The arrival of the Europeans brought with it a number of changes. For reasons of hygiene, the farés were built on stilts, while those that remained on the ground had their floors concreted over.
Today, the ancestral faré is no longer really part of the architectural culture of Tahiti and Polynesia. It has given way to wooden farés, and also to concrete and sheet-metal constructions. For financial reasons, Polynesians today seem to prefer these materials, which are more affordable, more resistant to the vagaries of the weather and easier to maintain. As a result, a part of Polynesian culture has gradually disappeared.
Towards a modern habitat
Today, the climate is as mild as ever, but the architecture (in its concept of housing) is largely inspired by modern construction. The notion of private property has led to the enclosure of spaces, turning them into gardens in housing estates as everywhere else, while on the less populated islands and underprivileged or family neighborhoods, there are still few fences and estate separations. On the other hand, several farés are still built on the estate, each with its own specific function, organized around a central house. Today's houses often have a fare potee (for eating), a fare pereoo (for parking the car), a faré guest room..
On the building side, natural materials are still frequently used, and have gained renewed interest since the rise of ecological awareness and tourism. The roofs of hotel bungalows on stilts and of many houses and public buildings are still made of woven pandanus leaves. The others are often made of sheet metal, in beautiful pastel colors, but the walls are "hard" (concrete, breeze-block or other). The "hard" house is opposed to those made of wood, whether woven bamboo or plywood, not really for aesthetics, but rather for cyclone resistance. You can see these houses as you stroll through the commune of Moerai. Colonial architecture still survives, and new buildings are inspired by several sources, including Chinese, colonial, traditional and modern architecture. Occasionally, you'll notice gray, tagged concrete in the rapidly built-up areas around Papeete in the 1960s. But more often than not, the architecture blends in well with nature, with most of today's buildings no higher than the coconut palms. White walls and red roofs, decorated with flowers, ferns and pareos, the villas are buried in the lush greenery of the gardens, set on the beach, or open to all winds and perched on the mountain, with a view of the sunset and the islands in the distance. With a swimming pool, a fare potee for parties and a fare pereoo for the car, they are often spacious and comfortable, with carpets and cushions everywhere and even carpeting on the terrace - there's a lot of lying down in Polynesia.
Habitat on the water
It's probably the image that most often springs to mind when imagining Tahiti and Polynesian splendor: the stilt bungalow built just above an emerald-colored sea is the stuff of dreams for travelers the world over. However, the history of the archipelago does not reveal the existence of an aquatic habitat prior to the arrival of Europeans on the territory. Most construction took place inland or along the coast. The major hotel brands that built bungalows on stilts did so to convey their brand image around the world and attract crowds to an enchanting setting. Hotels such as the Méridien Bora Bora, the Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort or the Taha'a Island Resort & Spa are certainly inspired by the traditional Polynesian habitat, but are not accessible to the vast majority of travelers.
Nonetheless, one of the advantages of building on the water is that it has made the Polynesian population aware that this type of construction must be seriously considered in the future, as it may represent an interesting alternative for accommodating new arrivals in the face of coastal erosion and rising sea levels.
Papeete, the example of a city in the middle of the lagoons
The arrival of the first European settlers upset the balance of traditional Polynesian society. It was at this time that Papeete began to urbanize considerably. Firstly, because the French wanted to protect the territory from English invasion. So they built all kinds of roads, a military camp and fortifications, and it's fair to say that they are largely responsible for the city's image today. When you wander around Tahiti's capital, you can't help but notice that it's a veritable architectural melting pot. The impression you get on arriving in Papeete is that of a disorganized city, where buildings seem to take their place without really caring about what's going on around them, but despite this, far from the clichés of bungalows on stilts imitating farés, it's still worth a look. Indeed, a closer look at the monuments is a great opportunity to better understand the city's history and the different influences that have shaped it into the city it is today.
French Polynesia has seen two waves of Chinese immigration, the first in the second half of the 19th century and the second in the early 20th century, so it's no coincidence that Asian-style monuments can be found here and there.
The other major period in the history of Tahiti and French Polynesia was the arrival of the Europeans and the transition to the French Protectorate. A stroll through the city reveals monuments that were undeniably built under European influence. The main places of worship include Notre-Dame de Papeete Cathedral, Sainte-Thérèse Church and the Bethel Protestant Temple. As for the cathedral, its small size is reminiscent of the small churches found in some villages in mainland France, as is its shape. But its yellow facade, the colored frames around the stained glass windows and the evolution of its interior decoration from a European to a more Polynesian style perfectly attest to the desire to present a monument whose general appearance corresponds to the local environment.
Religious heritage in French Polynesia
Religious heritage took off in Tahiti and French Polynesia with the arrival of Protestant missionaries from the London Missionary Society in 1797. Christianity developed, and a religious heritage was born in the archipelago. It is worth highlighting its architectural specificities, with certain churches that blend perfectly into the green landscape, such as the church of Saint-Gabriel on the small island of Taravai, with its white facade and bluish hues, or the church of the Sacred Heart of Otepipi, in Anaa, which is located only a few meters from a heavenly beach with white sand and translucent waters. Other places of worship have an architecture that can be surprising, as is the case with the Church of St. Joseph in Faa'a, where the roofs are superimposed and the overall appearance appears unsightly. On the way to the foot of the Cathedral of Saint Michael in Rikitea, Mangareva, which has been restored, but which was originally built with sublime materials such as coral stone and coral lime, one can see the desire to have opted for an architecture that lives in perfect harmony with the surrounding greenery.
What architecture for tomorrow?
French Polynesia in general is facing a major problem: global warming and rising sea levels. As in every archipelago, melting ice causes sea levels to rise, gradually submerging the coastline. French Polynesia is vulnerable to this disruption, and even if data on the more or less long-term consequences is still unreliable, the authorities still need to be prepared. Taking this factor, population growth and the need to preserve a beautiful natural heritage into account, what are the solutions? There is talk of increasing the use of stilts in the not-too-distant future, or even encouraging the emergence of floating homes - alternatives that have already seen the light of day in other parts of the world. But are Polynesians ready to change their way of life when it comes to housing? Only the need to make decisions will tell.
