Regarding the controversy created over the state-owned project to build houses made of reed (Guadua angustifolia, a native species and not bamboo, Bambusa vulgaris, originally from Southeast Asia), I will write the following, under the protection of a house with reed walls:
Architecture connects humans with the landscape. Not only must a house have the right dimensions so that people enjoy being inside, but it must also be comfortable to live in. Three basic indicators come into play here: temperature.
Environmental conditions, humidity, and sunlight, since human thermal comfort depends on the relationship between these three. What is thermal comfort? It is the state in which the human body does not need to actively cool or warm itself (by fanning itself or getting dangerously close to
a chimney, to illustrate both extremes). In the Sahara (dry heat during the day, cold and dry at night) we need to create a cushion of fresh air inside the house, this is achieved with thick, whitewashed walls, and light but dense and reflective roofs. In our
In the mountains, the idea is to retain heat inside the houses and prevent the cold winds from penetrating from outside: Their architecture, both in the city and in the countryside, is rich in techniques that help achieve this goal. On the coast, we have a torrid climate, at least from...
from late December to early May, with peak temperatures of "hot and humid" in March. The rest of the year, humidity drops but peaks of high solar radiation persist when there are no clouds. If we look at photos of our small towns and cities in the tropics,
Until the beginning of the 20th century, we will see that houses with reed walls were a very common solution. Another was the "enquinchadas" houses, with double walls and a slope that somewhat imitated the desert solution described above but were, in the long run, a storehouse for insects.
of all kinds. In the countryside, an even cooler solution was used: cane floors (with wooden pillars and bases), cane walls, and a cade roof (a palm tree better known as tagua, Phytelephas aequatorialis). This would be the optimal dwelling for the tropics if it weren't for the fact that
The roof needs to be replaced every two or three years, and it can be a breeding ground for scorpions. Why is it optimal? Because the cane roof forms an "air cushion" that prevents the sun's heat from passing through by conduction, and the cane walls and floor allow air currents to pass through, renewing the...
indoor environment. This keeps such a house very cool, even in sunny or humid conditions. Now let's move on to another type of home that makes some concessions to modernity and is similar to the one I live in: a two-story house, the first floor for structural purposes only, with concrete foundations.
To avoid replacing the pillars every 15 years, the building has wooden beams and floors, chopped cane walls, and a floor height of at least 3.20 m. Air circulates below the living space and through the walls. The alloy ("Duratecho") roof is more durable and more reflective than the...
Common zinc. All that's missing is to locate this house in a good location and orientation so that its owners can enjoy what I want: A comfortable home, cool in winter and summer, night and day. What's the problem? That in modern times, guadua cane has been associated with
marginality, because it was the material used to build suburban "invasions", flimsy, poorly constructed, without any of the climate safeguards explained in this thread and gave "bad publicity" to guadua cane, a noble, multifunctional material, which if...
Knowing how to cut and work can provide us with years and years of shelter, protection, and freshness. Thank you for getting here.
@UnrollHelper