Aboriginal Habitat
If, by decimating them, the colonization wanted to erase any trace of their presence, the original inhabitants of Jamaica, the Taino Indians, belonging to the great Arawak culture, have nevertheless left astonishing imprints on the island. You will be able to discover numerous caves whose walls display a unique rock art, mixing painting, sculpture and engraving, in a clever play of light and colors. The Taino villages, most often based inland, in clearings at the edge of the forest, were organized around a central square bordered by two types of huts: the bohio, a common habitat with a circular plan, and the caney
, larger and generally rectangular, housing the cacique (chief) and his family. All these huts were built with natural and therefore perishable materials, thus limiting their impact on the environment. The frame was made of palm wood, the walls of cob and the roof of thatch. If no trace of this habitat remains today, its influence is palpable on the traditional habitat that has progressively developed on the island and whose basic form is that of the hut, such as it is found everywhere in the West Indies. Rectangular in plan and composed of two rooms, the original hut is characterized by walls made of twigs or braided reeds covered with mud or planks of raw wood then assembled by a system of wooden pegs, and by a thatched roof (straw or palm) or wooden shingles (mahogany or Canadian cedar), generally with two sides. This simple habitat is also and above all functional, which explains, for example, the separation of the kitchen and the layout of the habitat so as to prevent smoke from penetrating the interior. The hut is also adapted to the constraints of the climate. To protect themselves from humidity, these huts are never placed on the ground. They can rest on wooden stilts or on hard foundations, generally made of cement. A gallery runs along the façade, linking the surrounding nature (the garden is another key feature of these huts) and the interior, which is well ventilated. The hut also often has a porch protected by a small awning on the façade. If today cement and corrugated iron, more resistant to hurricanes, replace more and more natural materials, the traditional habitat perpetuates this tradition of a habitat thought in harmony with nature and is adorned with the shimmering colors of the rich Caribbean identity... impossible to miss!Colonial heritage
Although they discovered the island, the Spaniards have left few traces of their presence. However, this presence can be seen in the wrought iron balconies that adorn the facades of certain buildings whose high ceilings are also typically Spanish. These were usually rectangular in plan and had three large rooms, the central one of which served as a large hall and reception area. The portals
or arcades that can be seen on the first floor of some buildings are also of Spanish inspiration. Brick and adobe were the preferred materials.However, in Jamaica, it is mainly the British colonists who have left the most evidence of their presence. It all began with a defensive architecture designed to protect this new possession. Fort Charles, in Port Royal, is the most famous example. Its asymmetrical plan is reminiscent of the shape of a ship. Its red brick fortifications, combining powerful battlements and semi-circular gun shelters, house a small parade ground lined with guard buildings. The other facet of British domination was that of the great sugar plantations, a highly rationalized economic system based on the development of land for speculative purposes made possible by the exploitation of enslaved people. As elegant as it may be, the architecture of this era should never make us forget this dark part of history. These plantations were composed of industrial infrastructures (warehouses, stores, mills, forges...), of "quarters" housing the slaves and of community spaces (chapel, hospital...). And in the heart of the plantation, built on high ground to watch over and dominate, were the master houses that the English called Great Houses. The evolution of these houses is particularly interesting. Initially, the owners focused on the infrastructure, imposing stone and brick buildings whose silhouettes evoked the powerful English abbeys. The ruins of Kenilworth are an impressive example of this. The owner then lived in a rather modest habitat. But, quickly, some owners chose to turn to a resolutely defensive architecture. Their houses took on the appearance of fortified tower-houses or castles with thick walls. Stewart Castle is the most striking example. Then, from 1750 onwards, these Great Houses underwent a new evolution, becoming the representatives of a hybrid style reconciling the standards and the taste for pomp and decorum resolutely British and the necessary adaptation to the climatic constraints. This is the birth of what is called the Georgian-Jamaican style. From the Georgian style, then very fashionable in Great Britain, the Great Houses took over the sense of proportions and balance, the regularity and symmetry, the sobriety and elegance of the decoration borrowed from the classical vocabulary (pediments, porticos, colonnades...) and the immaculate whiteness of the ashlar. But if you take a closer look at these "sugar palaces", you will discover all the adaptations brought to the European style: the buildings rest on wooden pilings or masonry foundations (stone or cement) to protect against moisture and pest attacks; large verandas running along the facades, open central halls, openwork windows and louvered walls provide constant ventilation; single-story structures and low roofs, made of wood shingles or tile, and with four slopes, limit the wind. Decorative motifs also evolved. It is not uncommon to find pineapple-shaped finials on cornices and rooflines, plant motifs on carved balustrades, and sometimes even black men's faces on furniture and textiles, reminding us of the unjust foundations of this prosperity.. Rose Hall Manor with its impressive stone foundation and multiple staircases, Greenwood Plantation with its elegant veranda overlooking a lush garden, and Devon House
, all symmetry and classical rigor, are among the most famous examples of this plantation architecture. A classical vocabulary is also found in other public buildings of British rule, such as the courthouses, like Falmouth Courthouse with its Tuscan columns and central portico. During the 19th century, the British also developed an architecture mixing stylistic research and engineering prowess, as shown by the Old Iron Bridge in Spanish Town with its four arches and its impressive buttresses, or the astonishing naval hospital in Port Royal, rebuilt in 1818 using prefabricated cast iron elements imported from England. If you look closely, you will discover that these cast iron columns are attached at the back of the building to secondary supports allowing an increased resistance to earthquakes and cyclones. A metal architecture that can be found in cast-iron buildings or buildings whose frame is entirely made of cast iron, or in railway infrastructures, such as the railway terminal on Pechon Street in Kingston. Kingston, whose face was totally transformed after the 1907 earthquake. Following the innumerable destructions, new strict rules appeared: height limited to a maximum of two floors; stone and cement preferred to brick; then multiplication of ferrocement constructions (reinforced mortar or plaster applied on a metal lattice frame) and reinforced concrete. In terms of style, this wind of renewal was clothed in the trappings of a historicism that was eclectic, to say the least, mixing Beaux-Arts facades, neo-Palladian decor, neo-Roman borrowings and Greco-Roman rigor. Among the most astonishing buildings of the time, let us note: the Holy Trinity Cathedral with its neo-Byzantine copper dome and the Shaare Shalom Synagogue mixing classical columns and sculptures with Romanesque elements. In parallel to these "neo" styles, Art Deco is developing, notably carried by the designer Burnett Webster. You can see many examples of this style with pure geometric lines between Halfway Tree Road and Kingston Waterfront. And don't miss the Carib Theatre, one of the most beautiful Art Deco buildings in the city!Contemporary architecture
In the 1950s, Jamaica saw the emergence of a new generation of architects, trained abroad, but eager to return to build on the island and bring it fully into the modern world. A wind of renewal that blew even stronger when the island gained its independence in 1962. Among these new masters of modernity, three figures stand out in particular. The first is Wilson Chong, whose origins alone sum up the cosmopolitan character of the Caribbean. Chong is a Sino-Jamaican, born in... Cuba! All his work is an ode to the infinite potential of concrete and a highlight of an architecture that advocates innovation and adaptability. Among his major sources of inspiration, Wilson Chong cites Le Corbusier, from whom he takes some of the key elements. The Henriques Building, with its concrete façade and asymmetrical grid, has the famous sunbreakers of the Swiss master, while the former headquarters of the Ministry of Education on Race Course is built on stilts. Wilson Chong is also known for his concrete shells housing a gas station as well as a church! But his most famous achievement is the National Stadium
with its tripod structure designed to better resist the wrath of the earth, and its main stand shaded by an amazing cantilevered truss with elegant curved lines. Another key figure of this era was Vayden Mcmorris, a member of MSR, the first all-Jamaican firm founded with Jerry Sibley and Bert Robinson. Their style, mixing rationalism and international style, can be seen in buildings such as the Pan-Jam Building, or the headquarters of the National Commercial Bank, in the heart of New-Kingston, the business district with its many towers that redesign the city's skyline. The third figure in this architectural renewal is Herbert Denham Repole, famous for the former headquarters of the Life of Jamaica, with its planted atrium overhung by a bridge, and for its monument to national heroes Paul Bogle and George William Gordon in the heart of National Heroes Park. Among the other buildings illustrating this modern style, don't miss the various buildings of the University of the West Indies with their rectangular plan, their concrete pilings freeing up large spaces on the ground and their facades whose alternating sunbreaks and open blocks create a mosaic effect. The Arts Building, with its ashlar walls and irregular mortar joints, is an elegant link between craftsmanship and industrialization. In parallel with this architectural renewal, the island tried to curb the effects of an exponential demographic growth with the help of housing programs for the most modest, of which the Jamaican Bungalows in prefabricated materials were the great representatives. At the time, Wilson Chong, an architect for the city of Kingston, participated in the development of prefabricated concrete housing kits, while imagining high-rise buildings intended to free up ground space to provide the city with more green spaces. Unfortunately, these attempts at urban planning have been undermined by unchecked growth, which has given rise to numerous shanty towns on the outskirts of the cities. Today, the new Parliament building in the heart of Kingston has barely begun and is already attracting criticism. If the project is led by Jamaican architect Evan Williams, and based on the country's motto "Out of Many, One People", its monumental architecture looks like a flying saucer. Will the building not quickly become the symbol of a ruling class out of touch with reality? Especially since the project also includes the construction of ministries and infrastructures that will most likely require the displacement of many inhabitants. And the Parliament is just another example of the real estate speculation that has led to the destruction of many witnesses of the country's history. However, the Kingston Conference Centre is proof that tradition and modernity can be combined, as its structure successfully integrates the old port warehouses. Many architects are now calling for a policy of preservation and restoration of the island's treasures. This awareness is also developing in the tourism sector. While large soulless resorts continue to spring up, ecotourism projects relying on mineral and plant resources are emerging, particularly in the east of the island. Perhaps Gordon Gill, whose high energy performance buildings are displayed all over the world, will return to develop sustainable projects on his island in harmony with its unique nature?
