ARCHITECTURE OF THE SOUTHWEST AND FAR BEYOND

Materials and Architecture.

During Medieval times the woods of Europe were filled with European Oak Trees. The wild forests were expansive and unbeknownst to many people…..they were tended by many people.
When an oak reached a certain diameter it would often be “copiced”. This means cutting it off around ten feet above the ground.
What would happen then is the things that lumberyards are made of.
This oak tree would resprout and that suckers that would be produced were of great value.
Within five years these suckers would grow to a length of eight to twelve feet and they would be perfectly straight without any branching.
This perfect oak sapling was the material that created all the housing in the Middle Ages.
Understand that not everybody got to live in a castle.
These sprouts became the Medieval “two by four” of its day.
All the roof supports were of this dimension, all of the necessary load bearing branches were made of this sturdy solid and straight oaken log.

Every culture utilized naturally found materials for their needs.
In the South West U.S. many of the native cultures utilized cedar logs for their hogans.
The height of the tree and the length of the log dictated the diameter of the hogans that are found throughout the South West.

The plains Indian used balsam pine tree trunks and buffalo hides to create shelter on the expanse of the Great Plains.

We are an inventive species and we utilize what is most available and most easily at our disposal.

Enclosed is a photo of a Winnebago motorhome that has had more than one addition.

The motorhome might have been called the “Chieftain” it was made decades ago and would now be considered quite vintage.

Notice the additions, traditional adobe bricks have been added to enlarge the square footage of this dwelling.

Native American building techniques enhancing an Industrial Age combustion engine equipped motorhome to provide more square footage for their dwelling.

Some time later an addition was added to the adobe addition.

Even though the motorhome was brought into the area and on to the landscape, the modifications all used traditional materials.

As a species we never linger far from the earth.

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