THE ROLE OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN ADAPTIVE REUSE, A case of the Old Boma Building, Bagamoyo, Tanzania.

Abstract

Bagamoyo is an important district in the History of Tanzania. It was the first point where ‘the new comers’ i.e.; missionaries, explorers and traders arrived in order to reach Tanganyika, now Tanzania mainland, and the interior of Africa at large. It is also famous as the first place where Christianity was introduced in East Africa, where slaves from upcountry Tanganyika were being assembled before onward movement through Zanzibar, where abolition of slave trade started and other important historical events. The part of Bagamoyo where most of the heritage buildings and history lies is famously known as Stone town. Old buildings in Bagamoyo are abandoned. Also, future demographical changes threaten the existence of Bagamoyo.The research is aimed at determining how this area can be prepared to accommodate the new expected population and functions without erasing the traces of history that lie within them, but instead uplift history and the lives of the people living in these areas. This study focused mainly on the Old Boma in Bagamoyo and its surroundings.