Analysis of contemporary tribal huts according to local natural properties

For thousands of years, fields in different regions of the world has been settled by various tribes. In the context of this thesis, single cell huts of tribal cultures which documented in last two centuries, are analysed. Form, size and usage of tribal huts are varied among different cultures. It is considered that this difference is due to various field and climatic features, likewise local building material. In the initial phases of forming thesis structure, resources in the sense of traditional, local, tribal, primitive and rural architecture, hut and shelter, architectural history, village and vernacular settlement gathered from library, market and internet. A digital archive which contains visual materials such as photographs and architectural drawings (plan, section, elevation, sketch, settlement plan, etc.) from these sources is generated. Tribal huts that have the same structural system and similar building form are classified. While some of these figures are located in related content in fourth section of thesis, others are located in appendices. Geographical location and explanation of each tribal hut is attached to related content or shape. Supplemental research on anthropology, material culture, archaeology, geomorphology, local building material, local climate, influences of local climate on vernacular architecture, building form and structural system is done. Classifications of different sources according to local natural properties are analysed. The most rational classification systems are preferred. Abstract information is attached in related topic in second and third chapters via correlating their influences on mostly tribal architecture. If appropriate, classifications are expanded with additional types that are not indicated in the main sources. For climatic classification the main sources are Oliver's in EVAW and Koppen-Geiger's system. For both local material and field types, mostly EVAW is benefited. While tribal huts are analysed according to local natural properties, it is understood that living style of tribes is also affected on structural system and building form. Even if it is emphasized that anthropological factors are not affected on building form and structure in hypothesis, the second chapter related to living style of tribes is added. In evaluation chapter, relevance between living style of tribes and huts, influences of local natural properties on structural system and building form and all the ifluencing factors are examined with a holistic approach. Quantitive analysis of distrubiton of tribal huts according to continents are conducted and interpreted. According to their long-term living style, tribal cultures are divided as huntergatherers, pastoralists or agriculturalists. In comparison with other indigenous groups, hunter and gatherers have the most primitive living style and buildings. They flock when they move camp and hunt. They xxxii quickly construct their simple skeleton framed, grasses or leaves covered, small sized temporary shelters in daily/weekly camps. Pastoralist nomads, change their settlement locations with their livestock according to purposes such as feeding their animals or following seasonal fish routes. Water sources and/or vegetation are the determinants of seasonal migration. A number of pastoralists carry their buildings wherever they migrate. Yurts have skeleton framed structures which are transported as a whole body; while tensile structures as black tents are transported as they dismounted. Others do not have portable structures: they construct new local vernacular dwelling, as winter and summer dwelling, in each settlement. Agriculturalists construct their permanent buildings which exist since the culture sustains. Single family house or multi-family communal house types can be constructed according to tribal culture. Living in the same hut with animals is considered in many archetypes from each type of living style. In addition to living style, huts, as output of tribal cultures based thousands-year experience, are investigated according to local natural properties such as use of building material, local climate and settled field. Climatic features such as temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation, solar radiation and daily/seasonal temperature differences are influential on determining building form, relationship between ground and building, permeability and layering of building shell, and being semi-open or closed. However, climatic features are not mostly effected on determining building sizes. Field is mostly effected on settlement plan and building position. Settlement pattern can be differed as buildings gathered, clustered, enclosured, dispersed, and so on. It is crucial to state that buildings can be positioned below ground, semi below ground, on the ground or elevated on stilt structure. Cave shelters and below ground (pit) dwellings might be natural or artificially carved by settlers. Building form depends on terrain material which is easy to carve and not friable. While this kind of shelters are constituted via subtraction, all other structural systems and building forms are attached to the field. Stilt structures are observed in tropical forest and tropical coasts. Whole semi below ground dwellings are in arctic and sub-artic regions. Dwellings on the ground, as the most frequently encountered types, are found in various field types and different climatic regions. While buildings analysed according to materials, it is considered as timber is used as structural element in almost all of the sketon systems; animal products are used as cover in almost all nomad's skeleton or tensile structured shelters; Vegetative materials are used generally for roof cover; stone, earth and clay, mudbricks and snow/ice blocks are used in massive and masonry structures. While timber, earth and vegetative materials are commonly used in tribal huts; stone, animal products and snow/ice are rarely used in buildings. Structurally, single cell huts of contemporary tribes divided in four main types. More than half of the huts examined in thesis have skeleton system, while almost quarter of them has massive or masonry walls. The rest is tensile structured or cutout. xxxiii As a result, it is understood that the tribes, which have similar living style in addition to similar local natural properties in their settlement, construct their huts in similar forms and structural types. However, field, as one of local natural properties, influences tribal hut's form and structure indirectly. It has affect on local climate and tribe's living style that influence building form directly. The most effective local natural property on tribal hut's form and structural system is building material.