Survival Guide 4 – Wattle huts
From surviving to thriving
If you haven’t already, read our post about Shelters !
Experimenting with shelters brought comprehension of several fundamental principles to our survivors. They can now conceive a more developped construction, and start walking the path from surviving to thriving!
Now that the most urgent needs have been managed, they are going to develop their skills and organize the disposition of their village.
Triangle is the key
The survivors are starting to have greater ambitions.
They discovered the efficacy of the triangle to structure their constructions. Indeed, a triangular skeleton is inflexible, unlike a square one. At the building level, wind-exposed surfaces and lever arms are quite important. Still, the survivors want to be installed more comfortably in their future houses by being allowed to stand up.
How to improve the shelters ?
Instead of building too large triangular shelters – consuming too much materials – they chose to make a square structure reinforced by bracing.
Bracing principle
Make a rectangle using two thumbs and two forefingers like in the first figure. Make it move and confirm the second figure on the right. Try again with one thumb and two forefingers forming a triangle. It is rigid!
A beam resists well to compression effort and a rope resists to a traction effort. You can observe old buildings as well as the most recent ones and see that this bracing principle is omnipresent.
The wattle hut construction process
Vertical walls are used in order to save materials. Squares are reinforced by bracing.
Home sweet home…
Experimenting
We experienced bracing with tractive elements on a small octagonal structure – about 4 meters in diameter.
We started by attaching branches, then strings making a cross shape on each one of the eight sides. It was impressive to feel the construction becoming stronger and stronger just by adding those strings.
Sources
Inspiring books
Drawings used in accord with Francesco CORNI and Ink Line Edizioni
Construction de maisons à ossature bois, Yves Benoit and Thierry Paradis, Éditions Eyrolles
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