In this final (probably) post on the Ship of Theseus and the question of architectural authenticity, I would like to consider the example of Australian mountain huts that have been lost in fires and later rebuilt. In particular, Delaneys hut in Kosciuszko National Park, which has now been rebuilt twice after being destroyed in bushfires: once in the mid to late 2000s after the fires of 2003, and again this year after the fires of 2019-2020.

The original Delaneys Hut, built circa 1910, Kosciuszko National Park.

The original Delaneys Hut after its destruction in 2003.

Delaneys Hut during its first reconstruction.

The first reconstruction. Note the horizontal rails to the timber slab chimney, reasonably faithful in design to the original.

The first Delaneys Hut reconstruction after its loss to fire in 2020.

The second reconstruction of Delaneys Hut under construction, due to open to the public in April 2023. Note the fire-treated cladding and ridge-mounted sprinkler system.

Another view of the second reconstruction. Note that the chimney now lacks horizontal rails, and has gained a cowl.

Comparing before and after photos of these huts, the thought occurred that is probably easier to successfully reconstruct a work of classical or ‘high’ architecture than it is to rebuild a vernacular building, because classical buildings are more formally and precisely designed and thus more easily ‘abstracted’ into a set of measured drawings and other documents that capture the ‘essence’ of the design; in the terminology of aesthetics, they are more allographic and thus more reproducible, more akin to composed music or a written work. In vernacular buildings, the authenticity arguably lies more in the process of production; they are more autographic, like a painting or a sculpture. Does this then mean, somewhat paradoxically, that aiming for a ‘perfect reproduction’ of a lost vernacular original is actually against the spirit of vernacular building? Perhaps the attitude expressed by one of the men who worked on both Delanys Hut reconstructions is in fact the correct one: “I didn't need a plan this time because I still had it in my head."

If you are interested in learning more about Australian bush huts, this is an excellent site.