Roof and water
Impluvium
housingpatiocultural centerschool
It is a basin that receives the rain falling through a central opening in the roof. The roof slopes inward to carry the water there.
What it solves
It gathers rainwater in the heart of the house and stores it. Its opening brings light and air inside, and the evaporating water cools the space.
Today
A bottom that filters or leads to a cistern, an overflow to the outside and safe edges are recommended. Water should not stand still, to avoid mosquitoes.
Common mistake
Opening the roof at the center without thinking about overflow, so that a downpour floods the rooms.
Tomorrow
The impluvium can be the center of houses and schools that collect their own water. In Ziguinchor, Senegal, a cultural center built in 1994 already collects it in three impluvia.
Fact In the Roman house the impluvium sat about 30 cm below the floor of the atrium.
Where it comes from
- 1Roman house (domus) Pompeii and Rome, Italy, Antiquity
Water passed from the impluvium to a cistern under the floor that stored filtered, cool water. - 2Jola (Diola) people Lower Casamance, Senegal, ancient and living tradition
Circular mud house with a thatched roof that slopes inward toward a central court where rain falls into a basin. - 3Igbo, Yoruba and Edo southern Nigeria, vernacular tradition
They also build houses organized around an impluvium.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Roof and water
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.