The First Structures - Building in the Prehistoric Era
and waterproofing. The roofs must have been made of crude thatch bundles or bundled reeds.
The Communal House
Heavier timber buildings were also found. These buildings were restricted
in size as the stone tools used by man at this time were not very effective
in cutting large trees for timber. Using the post and lintel system, a
central row of columns was used to support the ridge pole and similar rows
of columns were used for the long walls. Rafters were run from the ridge
pole to the wall beams. The columns were buried deep into the ground for
lateral stability. The ridge pole and rafters were tied using vegetable
fibers. Thatch was used to roof the structure. Light wooden poles were
spanned between the rafters to lay out the thatch on top. The walls
were infilled with various materials, including clay, wattle and daub,
tree bark (used by the American Woodland Indians), and thatch.
Stone Structures
Some of the first structures built by man were using stone --- by placing
2 stone vertically and one flat stone spanning them across. These
were called dolmens.
Other stone building include granaries and
temples. But some, like the Stonehenge,
are still a puzzle to us today. The construction of such buildings was
based on the post and lintel method, similar to the dolmens.
Many of these structures are still being used by tribal populations all over the world. Some examples are the:
- Primitive Shelters of the North American Indians (a must-see site)
- The Zulu Kraal
- Navajo Hogan
- The Igloo
- Teepe
- Mongolian Yurt
The two main types of forces that had to be dealt with by the primitive builder were tension (the stress generated by stretching forces) and compression (the stress generated through compacting forces). Wood poles used are good in compression and animal hides are suitable for tension. The post and lintel also counteracts these forces. The vertical posts are good in compression and the horizontal lintel works to fight tension, through bending, and also reinforces the structure against lateral forces of the wind.
Environmental Control
All these buildings created a "membrane" which could protect man from
inclement weather conditions, like rain, snow, high speed winds, excessive
heat etc. Also this structure blocked out light. Also these structures
were very thermally responsive --- heating and cooling very fast.
Social Benefits
In the initial stages, when man was a nomad, these structures needed
to be either portable or easily discarded. Tents were easily carried along
with the tribe in its travels, and the huts could be left where they were
built, for the forest to reclaim them. Also
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