Home sweet home

Home Sweet Home

Don’t you love your home? Isn’t it the only place you want to be in when you are exhausted or dull?

Do you know that, across the globe houses are built very differently? Sometimes they are so different that you might be surprised when you look at them. But if all the houses have just one purpose of providing shelter, then why are they different?

A lot of times it is because of the geographical location. The house has to sustain challenges like harsh climates or natural disasters.

Igloos, found in the Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Siberian Russia, are made up of blocks of ice.

Igloo
Image Credit: Flickr user romaincloff, via Creative Commons

Most modern houses in Japan have Earthquake proof homes that have massive shock absorbers, sliding walls and Teflon foundation pads that raise buildings up from the ground – since the country is prone to frequent earthquakes. In tropical areas, Stilt houses are extremely popular. They are built on stilts and have sloped roofs to keep the house dry from constant rains.

A stilt house

Then, houses are made up of different materials like cement, wood, stone, bamboo or sometimes even mud. The kind of material used to build the house depends on many things like cost, availability and looks.

In big cities, houses are mostly made of concrete. It is cost effective and available easily. In ancient times, people used stone to build their houses probably because stones were the only available building material. Also, it was long living and durable. Think what is common between castles where kings lived, Egyptian pyramids and the gorgeous Taj Mahal? They are all made up of stone!! Stone houses are sometimes preferred even now a days as they are eco-friendly and sturdy enough to resist fire, wind or water.

Famous stone structures

Wooden homes are immensely popular in European countries, US and Canada. Wood is a poor conductor of heat and cold. It does not conduct the outside heat or chillness easily. Hence, wood keeps the house cooler in summers and warmer in winters. Jungle lodges and Tree houses are made of wood due to easy availability !!

Bamboo houses are cheap and environment friendly. While wood can sometimes take up to 25 years to generate, bamboo takes only 2-3 years. Bamboo is extremely strong and elastic. Thus,during earthquakes, it can resist enormous pressure without breaking. And in case, disaster does manage to shatter a bamboo it can be assembled back again in a short time. They are used all over Hawaii, Costa Rica, Bangladesh and China.

People constructing a bamboo house

Do you know that there are few homes that are always on the move? Curious?? To know more read this.

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3 responses to “Home Sweet Home”

  1. dahszil Avatar
    dahszil

    Being a retired photographer I would like to make a guess at second photograph from the top. That is either a large snow structure or a conventional structure covered with snow. It has 6 seemingly large openings bigger than a house door. Firstly the photo was created during the hour prior to sunrise or within the hour after sunset. I think perhaps 6 flash units, one in each opening and triggered wirelessly. That would be during an exposure of around a minute. If they were each lighted with continuous lighting they would be a warmer light. If taken at night the sky would be black. yes one could take a longer exposure during winter and the sky would be just as well balanced as the light on the snow. however i think due to reciprocity (don’t ask me to describe it scientifically, i don’t know)the color cast would shift from blue to a greenish or magenta color. In that case continuous artificial lighting in each opening would be really washed out….The best way to take night photos is never at night. always take them during the “magic hour” around an hour before sunrise and within around an hour after sunset. a black sky with “man made lighting” of city, rural homes, etc has much too much contrast. At all events its a fine photograph by a fine photographer. Btw, why is there no photographer credit.

  2. kinooze Avatar
    kinooze

    Hi dahszil, Agree it is a mighty fine picture. Thanks for your comment. Have just added the Image credit. More to follow.

  3. Zippy Financial Australia Avatar
    Zippy Financial Australia

    Thank you for writing such a thoughtful blog post about houses. Your passion for the topic really shines through. Keep up the great work and keep inspiring others with your words!

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