In dense Roman cities most houses were built around the atrium, with an impluvium, a shallow pool, in the center, and the corresponding compluvium, an opening in the pitched roof. above.pic.twitter.com/tbbmtUpRAQ
আপনি আপনার টুইটগুলিতে ওয়েব থেকে এবং তৃতীয়-পক্ষ অ্যাপ্লিকেশনগুলির মাধ্যমে অবস্থান তথ্য যেমন শহর বা সুনির্দিষ্ট অবস্থান যোগ করতে পারবেন। আপনার কাছে আপনার টুইটের অবস্থান ইতিহাস মোছার বিকল্প থাকবে। আরও জানুন
In dense Roman cities most houses were built around the atrium, with an impluvium, a shallow pool, in the center, and the corresponding compluvium, an opening in the pitched roof. above.pic.twitter.com/tbbmtUpRAQ
The compluvium would concentrate all rainwater into the impluvium, as well as lead valuable sunlight into the often long and windowless Roman domus. As the water in the impluvium evaporates it creates a cooler indoor climate and generates a breeze.pic.twitter.com/2fndYAbaRV
Underneath the impluvium were cisterns, where the household could draw fresh and continuously chilled water. The best impluvia also came with an inbuilt filtration system, as the porous bottom would allow water to filter through sand and gravel into the cistern below.pic.twitter.com/aR4LTe7up9
The many impluvia in the Roman city drew a substantial amount of water which would otherwise have overwhelmed the sewers and urban water run-off in storms. It also made the city far less dependent on fresh water from communal wells or aqueducts, allowing for denser populations.pic.twitter.com/x19uImUBwr
The richer Roman domus would use grondaia—the predecessors of the medieval gargoyles—water sprouts that controlled and directed the rainwater into an attractive water feature. These would be built into the corbels and make the atrium a bit less messy in case of hard rain.pic.twitter.com/xYc9B30qsA
The implivium system is known and used by almost all hot climate countries in the world, like the famous ones in Senegal, west Africa, which uses thatch instead of roof tiles and often combines the rainwater catchment with small kitchen gardens.pic.twitter.com/3h8l6HcSss
In Japan, China, Sri Lanka, India etc. it was also a common way to control rainwater and create an attractive, cool, indoor courtyard at the same time. It could also be used for gardening, fish ponds, household chores etc.pic.twitter.com/yvCyXmpApY
And for sheer charm, it is hard to beat a beautifully kept impluvium in the central atrium of your house. These would often have been richly decorated, with statues of important house hold gods, mottoes, mosaics, paintings and even treasure chests: perfect for welcoming guests.pic.twitter.com/ZM4TiAJJHy
If we were to build more of these impluvia in hot, arid, climates, we would do both ourselves and the environment a huge favor. It could even help save places like Los Angeles from the coming water shortages, while using only sustainable, hand built, ecological resources.pic.twitter.com/Haq6trVxlM
Instead of going into lifelong debt to rent a plastic villa that will last you a few decades completely dependent on the grid, why not build something like this that can be repaired by anyone using mud, brick and wood, saving water and making expensive AC systems unnecessary?pic.twitter.com/XkE40HOACG
An eco commune or village that valued sustainability and community might want to replicate the European "lavoir", communal washing facilities that were common during medieval times right up to the 20th century. Take your laundry down, have a chat, save energy and get exercise.pic.twitter.com/LqiwlUYz8a
1) I love your account. 2) How does a system like this work when it snows? You said it’s used in Japan?
1. Thank you. 2. It would be combined with a corridor, an engawa, that you can close up during the colder months, between the inner rooms and the outdoor/courtyard. But areas on the northern coasts of Japan would not use this style of construction, only for the hotter south.
What about areas that get hit with heavy rains and hurricanes? Like for example I live in the Houston area and water from Harvey got most of the way up the street and very nearly into my house.
Traditionally no one would build permanent dwellings on flood plains, but these days we ignore common sense. The only other solution I can think of is stilt houses, houseboats, or sacrificial ground floors.
Very cool thread, but the Minoans were vastly superior in this regard to architecture. You should talk about them too!
As soon as I have read up on it!
Very nice Wrath. Do you know about Persian windcatchers that act as cooling towers?
Yes, variants are still common in all severely dry areas of the planet. Lovely inventions. You can get similar effects with tall ceilings and cleverly positioned windows.pic.twitter.com/vSILrF1yWr
The physics behind this is also utilized as I recall by a small mammal that lives under the desert floor. One end of it's tunnel is elevated (with a mound of dirt) wrt the other end, thus promoting airflow through the tunnel per the Bernoulli effect.
টুইটার তার ক্ষমতার বাইরে চলে গেছে বা কোনো সাময়িক সমস্যার সম্মুখীন হয়েছে আবার চেষ্টা করুন বা আরও তথ্যের জন্য টুইটারের স্থিতি দেখুন।