Last year, during my History of Housing course in the Department of Architecture taught by Professor Sjipkes at McGill University, I learnt about communal housing typically inhabited by sedentary, hunter-gatherer societies around the world. My textbook for this course was titled, "6,000 Years of Housing" (oh no - not, 200, not 500, but 6,000 years of housing!).
Most communal houses are composed of one large room, where sleeping, cooking, cleaning and hanging out take place. Sometimes, a “sunken” living space is separated from the bedroom by a small stair. Communal houses built on “stilts” are done so for defensive purposes, allowing the family to draw up their ladder so no one can access the home from the ground. Everyone who lives in the house normally pitches in to build it, and it can be burnt down or abandoned if the family decides to leave.
The steeple roofs made of thatch are built this way in order to shelter the inhabitants from the elements (sun and rain). And, depending on the size of the communal house, up to six families can sometimes inhabit them. Since family is considered the primary organizational unit, everything is shared, and all activities are carried out in front of others. There is a strong sense of kinship and trust because there are no walls separating the functions of the dwelling.
Much to my delight and surprise, I found seven replicas of communal housing used by Vietnamese ethnic groups which were built to scale on the grounds of the Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi. Visitors are permitted inside the dwellings if you take off your shoes.
From the picture above, can you guess which entrance is for the ladies and which one is for the gents?
Most communal houses are composed of one large room, where sleeping, cooking, cleaning and hanging out take place. Sometimes, a “sunken” living space is separated from the bedroom by a small stair. Communal houses built on “stilts” are done so for defensive purposes, allowing the family to draw up their ladder so no one can access the home from the ground. Everyone who lives in the house normally pitches in to build it, and it can be burnt down or abandoned if the family decides to leave.
The steeple roofs made of thatch are built this way in order to shelter the inhabitants from the elements (sun and rain). And, depending on the size of the communal house, up to six families can sometimes inhabit them. Since family is considered the primary organizational unit, everything is shared, and all activities are carried out in front of others. There is a strong sense of kinship and trust because there are no walls separating the functions of the dwelling.
Much to my delight and surprise, I found seven replicas of communal housing used by Vietnamese ethnic groups which were built to scale on the grounds of the Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi. Visitors are permitted inside the dwellings if you take off your shoes.
From the picture above, can you guess which entrance is for the ladies and which one is for the gents?
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