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Shelter Has Evolved In Relationship To Basic Essay

¶ … shelter has evolved in relationship to basic individual (shelter, security, comfort, social interaction, ritual) and context environmental constraints, character site, building materials, construction technologies, social relationships). In the essay, we will consider the relationship between the buildings as physical objects of a material culture. In terms of the plan/layout, exterior form, interior spaces, structure and materials and as lived in sites, we must realize that architecture serves the particular needs and desires of the users and the larger community in their everyday life. Interestingly, there are some constants through this evolution and that are constant among the many different peoples around the world. Circular Construction

Of these, the most significant is the basic shape of a building. A circular structure is certainly practical and easy to make. The building can be made out of totally field expedient materials that are readily at hand. The buildings do not take much skill for the novice to build. It mimics many animal shelters. Also, it is easy to defend, giving the ability to defend 360 degrees around. The interior lines of communication between defenders allows easy coordination and resupply during a battle. The simplicity of building seems to have followed over into tomb examples such as the Passage Tomb in Newgrange, Ireland, ca 3000-2500 BC., or stone alignments in Carnac, France, ca 1500 BC., or igloos in the Arctic circle. Also, religious sites or observatories were round, a shape mimicking the heavenly dome. This would play up certain factors such as shelter, security, comfort, social...

Or an Iron Age round house, Mongolian Yurts or to through classical Greek and Roman examples (polygons) to the present. Of these, the most significant is the basic shape of a building. Architects consider round buildings before others in design. They have ten percent less wall area that is exposed to the elements than a square building of equivalent floor space. 15% savings are realized when comparing round to rectangular shapes of equal area. A circle is also an inherently strong shape, just as we use it today in objects such as garbage cans or rockets where strength and durability is an issue ("Full Circles Shelters Why") .
Round buildings tend to be smaller This would explain why they and other non-rectangular building shapes are more common in smaller buildings, probably due to the architectural issues at hand. And that rectangular buildings are easier to build when larger size and space is an issue.

Building Materials

We should now consider building materials. This is made up of any material that is used for a construction purpose. Many naturally occurring substances to include clay, sand, wood and rocks or even twigs and leaves are being used to construct buildings. Totally apart from naturally occurring materials such as clay bricks many man-made products are in use, though some are more and some less synthetic.

The manufacture of building materials is part…

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Works Cited

Steadman, Philip. "Why are most buildings rectangular?." Theory. 10.2 (2006): 119-130. Print.

"Why round buildings?." Full Circles Shelters Why. 2011. Web. 18 Oct 2011.

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