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The architecture has evolved according to the needs of the population, this is how today there are different types of houses around the world.
The great buildings, for example, were thought to be able to gain ground to the sky and the horizontal extension for so many inhabitants ended up being impossible.
However, in many places the typical architecture of an area, town or tribe has been maintained for much longer.
We love to know the different types of traditional houses that, today, we can continue to enjoy and that, without any doubt, are part of the history of the human being.
In each area the houses were designed to meet our needs, according to many factors such as the weather, customs or family reunion, among others.
Knowing the different types of traditional homes that exist throughout the world will allow us to also know what are the most common criteria when building homes or shelters.
It is interesting everything a house can tell us about the context in which it has been built.
Therefore, this article will not only be a compilation of a series of different types of homes, but also a trip around the world to know why some houses vary from others and how they affect external circumstances.
Fasten your seat belts, that the trip will start:
1. Palafito
They are houses supported by a series of pillars that keep them in height.
Normally we can find them in areas such as lagoons, lakes and pipes, although sometimes they can also be seen on the seashore.
Some of the countries that build them are Argentina, Colombia, Benin, Chile or Peru, among others.
Although there is archaeological evidence that similar housing was also used in prehistoric Europe.
In the new world the colonizers found areas on the seashore with palafitos, in fact they came to confuse those areas with European cities.
Such is the case of Venezuela, whom they named Little Venice because of the similarity of the native houses with that of that region.
2. Igloo
It generally has a dome shape and is built with blocks of snow, obviously used in icy areas such as Antarctica and Alaska.
They are usually associated with Eskimos, since hunters used to build them as a temporary shelter, but there are really igloos that serve as permanent housing if the size is adequate and they are properly maintained.
This type of traditional and old house allows us to know how the human being manages to survive extreme weather conditions.
And it is a quality that has been constant throughout the centuries, since structures are still being made that allow survival in the face of climatic changes.
3. Ruca
This is the traditional dwelling of the Mapuche tribe, which lives in Chile and Argentina.
These are large houses, between 120 and 240 square meters, built only with natural materials.
The roof is usually formed by reed or any type of straw.
It only has one entrance and exit door and it is always facing east.
In the past, if you wanted to build a ruca, you had to ask the Ngen-mapu spirit for permission.
Ruca shows that the human being has always had an ecological sense, since he got used to making houses with the surrounding materials.
It is a custom that is being rescued, since at present there is a fashion of ecological houses, like the Tiny House that is based on the manufacture based on renewable materials.
4. Tipi
A classic of western films, and it is precisely that this type of house is originally from the native peoples of the United States.
It consists of a cone-shaped tent covered by animal skins and fastened with wooden sticks.
The most important thing is that it is a transportable house, so it was perfect for the way of life of these villages.
In addition, it protects from extreme temperatures and rain, thanks to animal skins.
The tipi house is what would be equivalent to a mobile home, or detachable. Which leads us to think that man has always sought the comfort of houses that can be transported.
5. Yurta
We change the continent to go to Central Asia and there to know the house used by nomadic peoples since the Middle Ages.
It has a rounded shape and although currently the construction materials have changed the rest of the system is the same.
Now the store is covered with a waterproof cloth, but formerly it was covered with straw or pieces of wool.
On this occasion, due to its easy transport, this type of housing for nomadic peoples was maintained and maintained to date.
Again we meet this criterion of easy transportation, which reaffirms that houses have always been a natural extension of the human being.
We mean that the types of traditional houses and their respective characteristics are because the human being, once he has discovered the importance he has, sticks to them.
That is why we also call our homes home, because an emotional bond is established, perhaps due to the benefits it brings.
6. Wigwam
This is another one of those types of homes in the world that were originated by indigenous peoples, and also from the United States.
It has a rounded structure and its interior is diaphanous, this house has been used by some indigenous peoples in the Southwest and West of the United States.
Its curved shape provides a refuge for both high and low temperatures and, in addition, they were the inspiration of the houses of the first settlers.
To withstand this form, wooden sticks are placed as a structure and usually covered with cane, straw, reeds or tree barks, although in some specific tribes animal skins were used.
Again we see the ingenuity mixed with immediate access to the materials that nature grants.
7. Maloca
It has a large size since it is an ancestral communal dwelling.
It is built and used by the indigenous people of the Amazon and varies somewhat according to the area, culture and tribe that builds it, although it generally meets a series of equal requirements.
The structure is made with eucalyptus wood, within it all the activities of the families that inhabit it are done, such as cooking, storing hunting and planting products, as well as living together.
Adaptability is the quality that shows us this type of traditional Amazon house, since although it is used throughout the area, it always has variations that respond to the environment.
8. Barraca
In Spain, in the Valencian Community and Murcia we find these constructions, much more resistant than the previous ones, which served as houses for the farmers.
Today we can find examples, although the decline of the agricultural sector in these regions has led to the disuse of these homes.
It stands out for its triangular roof with a marked angle, the walls are built with bricks and reeds, reeds or reeds are also used.
We talked about a house that was typical of people with some economic power, as it used to be the home of the owner of the land where it was cultivated.
La Barraca is a type of house that shows that the structure and aesthetics also vary according to the social position.
9. Riads
Typical Arab houses that bear the same name as «garden» and that we can find, especially in Morocco.
It is something similar to the old Roman villas, with several floors and houses that overlook a communal interior courtyard, which they usually decorate with trees or fountains.
All walls are clad with chrome tiles or mosaics.
Many of these homes have now been converted into hotels, although it is still a traditional way of living for locals.
10. Hanok
This is the traditional housing that we can find in Korea.
It has been many years (since the first century B.C.) being transmitted from generation to generation without changing any of the basic aspects of housing.
Within the country you can differentiate the homes of the northern and southern region, since some different materials were used because of the weather and the same happened with the different social classes.
For its construction mud, wooden beams, tiles and nails are used.
This traditional house, as we have said, has survived the passage of time, which means that durability has always been an important aspect for the human being when it comes to housing.
Since ancient times the human being built their houses thinking that they were perpetual.
11. Minka
If we enter some regions of Japan we can find these traditional homes of farmers, artisans and merchants.
It has a basic structure and the shape of its roof is what makes it peculiar, the size, type of construction and decoration depended on the climatic situation of the house as well as the economic situation of the owner.
For its roof large wooden beams were used that were crossing and in this way no pillars were needed in the center of the house.
This type of house illustrates the ingenuity that human beings have when building their homes.
12. Plank House
The indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest built their houses with cedar wood planks.
It was a long communal house, it could be found in some regions of Indonesia and the United States.
The roof used to be crooked towards one of the faces to direct the rainwater.
The use of natural elements is not only an aspect that has been taken into account as building materials.
The man always looks for the way that his houses serve to take advantage of the elements around. As in the case of these Plank House, a type of construction whose structure allows the collection of rainwater.
13. Trullo
In the region of Apulia, Italy, we can find these old rural constructions made with dry stone masonry walls.
They were conical in shape and used to be decorated with figures that made reference to the spiritual, and magical.
In the main areas where the trullos were built, prehistoric archaeological foundations have been found.
However, it is thought that no trullo is so old, since at the time it was easier to tear it down and build a new one instead of repairing the previous one in case the structure was damaged.
Houses are not only physical structures, but they have intangible value, and the trullos show that man has always had this in mind.
14. Underground houses
It can be found in different regions around the world, but above all they were frequent during the oil crisis in the United States.
It is a question of houses built taking advantage of the geological formations of earth to make great walls that protect it from the extreme temperatures.
Something similar to creating your own cave, but keeping as much as possible the appearance of a normal house.
The illustration allows us to better understand the architecture, which tells us that we can find the clues of nature itself for our shelters.
15. Izba
Traditional Russian housing made with wood and maintaining the structure of conventional Russian farms.
Formerly wooden boards were linked with ropes since any other item was expensive for people who lived in these rural areas.
The central element of the house was a stove that could occupy up to a quarter of the total area.
It was very cold and people who lived in them came to sleep on boards built on top of the stove.
16. Mudhif
This home is the traditional home of the Madan (Arabs living in the swamps of southern Iraq).
It is made with woven reeds, the columns are made with thicker and stronger reeds and the finest are used for the lining of the structure, which is shaped like a tunnel.
It is actually a communal house that is usually paid and maintained by a local sheikh for guest use.
17. Wealden Hall House
A traditional dwelling in the southeast of England used to be built by a landowner who could afford it.
It consists of a whole wooden structure that had large rooms inside.
In its origins, there was a large hole in the ceiling as a window, but over the years that ended up being the place of the chimney.
The rooms on the upper floor used to be larger than those on the lower floor, and for this reason it is seen that the base is less wide than the upper floor.
18. Hare paenga
It is a type of housing that we found on Easter Island, long before the arrival of the Spaniards.
It was shaped like a boat and was very elongated, the roof was made of plant material in three layers: a layer of cattails, another of sugar cane leaves and a layer of grass.
It was a communal house, although everyone had to enter through the only door that was located in the center of the widest side.
19. Chaumière
In many regions of Western Europe we can find this type of houses, especially in areas such as Normandy and Brière, in France, although we also find it in the United Kingdom, Germany, among others.
Its name is given by the straw coating it has, and it is made of the materials that were in the areas.
Mainly, the partitions were made of oak beams and so that the roofs were waterproof they were so inclined and elongated.
Currently, these types of buildings are still being built, although it varies a little in terms of materials, since they use some more modern and efficient ones such as the tile.
20. Pasiega cabin
We return to Spain, this time to the Cantabria region to get to know this type of mixed popular housing, since it serves as housing and also as a stable.
They are usually two-story houses; the one below is the stable for animals and the upper floor is used for housing.
Although livestock in this area remains stable, it is true that in recent years the sector has changed and the number of such cabins has been reduced.
Still, it’s easy to find one if you approach the upper basins of some valleys.
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