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MONUMENT

The Exotic Architecture of Zigurats;

Living in a round house

Fashion? Tendency? A new architecture studio long time.
in the city? There are ecological advantages in building
No, nothing like that. For millennia many cultures a round house. Without the conventional roof it’s
around the world have used this type of construction. not necessary to use wood and tiles. We can build
In Turkey, houses made of stone and mud, more a house of exotic beauty using more simple and re-
than four thousand years ago, are still standing. In Ca- sistant materials: cement and bricks. Excellent raw
ppadocia, people who lived 7.000 years ago, carved material for bricks is found in this region (MS: Mato
their houses in the volcanic rock and today they’re cal- Grosso do Sul) and, since the bricks do not need to
led Chimneys of the Fairies because of their conical come from far away, it reduces the environmental
shape. The North American Indians lived in demoun- impact and the cost.
table tents that could easily be moved. The same goes In Zigurats, an original way to treat the debris
for the Yurtis, a type of large circular tents that the no- resulting from the construction work is the treat-
madic people of Mongolia still use today. ment of black water. A very simple technology cal-
In Europe we can admire the beauty of monu- led Tvap, an evapotranspiration tank, is built in the
mental domes of marvelous churches. Breathtaking ground, consisting of a waterproofed masonry tank.
constructions that make us think about the way they In this tank we put a layer of rubble and over it a
were erected. And we cannot forget about the great layer of tires that forms a big well closed channel.
Brazilian Ocas (traditional huts), some round, others It’s in this channel that the waste-water from the toi-
oval, which serve both as housing and to carry out im- let will be deposited. On the tires goes another layer
portant events in these communities. of rubble, sand and lastly, black earth. In this large
But what advantages does a round house offer? bed that has been formed, bananas, elephant ears
To begin with, a round house is easy to build. andpapayas can be planted which with their wide
Formerly, a rod nailed to the ground to which a leaves extract all moisture and grow fed by the or-
rope was attached guaranteed the circumferen- ganic matter. The gray water from the sinks, the sho-
ce. Today, a kind of gauge, as if it were a compass wer and the washing machine is distributed all over
with the legs upwards, ensures the plumb, level the land through a drainage pipe buried near the
and precision of the dome. What’s impressive is surface, ensuring flowers and green grass all year
that this type of construction is highly resistant to round. This treatment rules out the use of traditional
earthquakes and strong windstorms. As the dome sewage and is technically safe.
evolves in a gentle upward curve, the wind goes The round house creates an atmosphere of
around it and, no matter how strong it is, we will safety and comfort. It ensures us optimal nights of
never see a roof flying. sleep because the acoustic behavior is much di-
The thermal comfort is another important point. fferentiated. You can hardly hear the outside noise
In warm regions, the warm air inside the house rises and lying in bed admiring the dome is quite an ex-
to the highest part where a wind powered exhaust fan perience on its own. It’s almost like sleeping in an
is installed and there it escapes, creating a circulation old cathedral.
where the cooler air below enters and creates a more Did it leave you curious? Then come and meet
pleasant environment. In colder regions, these houses Zigurats, in the municipality of Corguinho, Mato Gros-
with their thick walls keep the temperature stable for a so do Sul and its exotic architecture.

Lígia Rigo

15 l IMPACTO | 2019
14 l IMPACTO | 2019 15 l IMPACTO | 2019