Contemplating and gathering
Open shelter
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An open roof of palm, tile or metal sheeting on posts, almost always without walls. It ranges from the Indigenous conical house to the party shelter, the farm shelter and the beach shelter.
What it solves
It gives shade and protects from downpours while letting the breeze through on all sides. It is a place to gather, eat together, hang a hammock or celebrate. That is why it sustains the collective life of families and communities.
Today
Give it enough height for hot air to escape at the top, wide eaves against sideways rain and a floor that does not puddle. Plan hooks for a hammock and a safe place for the fire or the grill.
Common mistake
Roofing it low with uninsulated metal sheeting, which turns it into an oven at midday and a noisy drum when it rains.
Tomorrow
Well-harvested palm and bamboo return as renewable, cool roofs. A well-oriented shelter roof can carry solar panels and collect rain for the restroom or the vegetable garden.
Fact A well-woven suita palm roof, smoked by the kitchen fire, can last up to 30 years, according to Bribri users.
Where it comes from
- 1Bribri people Talamanca, Costa Rica, living tradition
The conical u-surë house is built with round timber tied with vines and a suita palm roof, with the entrance facing east. - 2Samoan meeting house Samoa, living tradition
The fale tele is round, without walls and with a thatched roof. There the council and families gather seated in a circle. - 3Palapa of western Mexico Mexico, colonial period
A roof of palm leaves on trunks, linked to Philippine influence, cooler than houses of European design.
Masters
- Diébédo Francis Kéré Serpentine Pavilion 2017, London, United Kingdom, 2017
He drew on the tree under which people gather in his village of Gando and designed a large roof that gives shade and shelter from the rain, separated from the walls so air can circulate. He teaches the essence of the open shelter as a roof for gathering.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Contemplating and gathering
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.