Rural Khmer house
Encyclopedia
Despite indoor and outdoor temperature
s of 36°C and up to 80% relative humidity
the old rural Khmer houses are very comfortable, both at ground level and on the upper floor. In spite of the absence of electric or mechanical air conditioning
, a draught-free environment appears to be attained simply by means of natural ventilation
.
Typically, rural Khmer houses are rectangular two-storey buildings, varying in size from four by six metres to about six by ten metres. The basic structure consists of a wooden frame, and the roof is erected before the walls on the upper floor are inserted. The roof frame defines the type of the house: a gabled roof (Phteah Rông Daol), a hipped or mansard roof
(Phteah Pét), the Khmer house (Phteah Keung). In Battambong province most houses have open spaces beneath the roof. They are called Phteah Rông Doeung, which may be derived from thbal kdoeung, meaning that a rice mill was stored at the back of the house under a second awning (ref. Wooden Architecture of Cambodia, ed. By Francois Tainturier, 2006) . A common feature in every type of house is a 5–10 cm gap, on all four sides, between the top of the wall of the upper floor and the roof.
Dwellings are raised on stilt
s that sometimes extend as high as three metres off the ground. In this way, annual floods do not affect the main room in the houses of rice
farmers, whereas rural farmers are able to use the ground level area beneath the house for working and to provide shelter for livestock
. One or two wooden ladders, ramps or staircases provide access to the upper floor. The simplest houses consist of only one room on the upper floor, partitioned off to provide a storage place for rice, a bedroom
for the parents, and a further space for unmarried daughters.
The upper floor generally consists of one large room. The main part of this room, the area where visitors are received, is defined by four central pillars; in this space there will be a figure of Buddha
, a television
, and a battery
-operated electric light
in the centre attached to the pillars. The parents’ sleeping space is situated either to the left or the right of the central entrance; textiles are often hung to separate this area from the rest of the room. To the back of the upper floor, on the left, is a space for the girls, whilst the boys have a space reserved for them on the right. This arrangement may vary from one family to another, but children are always separated by gender and placed at the back of the house. Other variations in position relative to the main central area are possible, but this room, with a figure of Buddha, television and battery-operated light
, always remains the most important area.
, house. The structure consists of evenly spaced wooden piles
that extend from the ground to the eaves or the roof ridge. No provision is made at ground level for any form of wall cladding
or protection against wind and rain; by day this area provides shade and serves as a living space for the inhabitants and their livestock. The upper floor, which is closed on all four sides, provides sleeping accommodation during the night; clothes, furniture and objects of value are stored here. A pitched roof
with an open truss completes the structure. Depending on social status
or financial possibilities, this basic structure may vary. Such variations can often be seen in the partitioning of the upper floor: the division between the parents’ room, or the area set aside for the children, may be extended to include a large veranda, thus providing a separation from the private part of the house. According to the size of the building, further variations may be found: to avoid too great a span width, and economise on material, larger buildings no longer have a simple pitched roof. Based on the framework and depending on the size of the building, 1 – 3 pitched roofs are placed alongside each other; the central roof will be noticeably smaller and narrower. A hip roof
is another variation of the typical roof of a Khmer house; this construction requires a large amount of material and is complicated, so that it is rarely seen. The shape of the roof defines the different house types.
whose simple structure serves its main functions. As well as providing a living and working area, the building serves as a shelter, which is of vital importance in the everyday life of a home in a rural setting that is exposed to the elements. During the day the house functions as a large umbrella
. Work and life go on at ground level, where the most effective shade is provided. This area is used for eating and resting, as well as craftwork and various other tasks such as the repair of farm equipment
. As the space below the building is dry and easily accessible some less used areas at its outer limits are used for storage; for example people may collect and store wood here until they are able to build the next house for their relatives. People do not stay upstairs during the day; they only sleep here at night. A separate room beside the main living space, which is often a step lower than the upper floor, is reserved for cooking.
Much attention is paid to certain details, especially in a new house: the main beam of the roof and the main pillars are partially wrapped with glittering metal bands that invite good spirits to protect the house.
elements are made of wood; rounded posts are used for piles
, whilst joist
s are made of squared beams. Simple carpentry
is used to join horizontal and vertical elements; the use of screws, which would increase expense, is avoided.
Panels of homemade palm matting cover the sides of the house; fixed to the wooden structure in a simple fashion they merely provide protection against the elements but have no influence on the stability of the construction. Palm matting is also used for roofing.
The private sphere of each household is restricted to the area occupied by their dwelling;
Delimited by the stilt structure of the house, it is at ground level that daily life – work, eating and family interaction – takes place. Livestock is kept here, in simple pens.
These typical wooden buildings surround an open space (approximately 150 m2), where there is a communal source of water, which forms the centre of the settlement.
The image on the right shows a 107 years old house and is still owned by the same family. It has a wooden structure
, with bamboo
walls. The roof is thatched with rice
straw. The lifespan of such houses is obviously not very long, probably not more than 100 – 120 years.
buildings, with no foundations.Wooden diagonal
struts that strengthen the piles
standing in the water ensure the stability of the building.
stand on individual prefabricated concrete foundations. Instead of the original homemade palm
matting, wooden boarding is used for wall cladding. Window
s and doors remain as structural openings, but sometimes they are equipped with shutters
. Clay tiles or corrugated tin roofing replace the conventional roof covering that simply provided protection against the sun. Tiles are not homemade and have to be purchased.
The use of modern building materials and the consequent alteration in the basic structure of the building increases the need for ventilation.
In contemporary houses, the ground level, which was previously an open area simply defined by the open framework of the building, is now walled in. The walls are made of brick
and are rendered on the outside and inside. The interior is now no longer an open space but divided into separate rooms by dividing walls. The window and door openings, so important for efficient natural ventilation
, are now closed with wood-framed glass windows and a solid wooden front door.
The upper floor is still made of wood
and built in the same way as the traditional wooden houses. However, the walled construction of the ground level means that the load no longer has to be conveyed to the individual points of the supporting structure, but can now be distributed at random. Consequently, we now find constructions that differ radically from the typical traditional basic design.
This was a radical cultural change. Such buildings were “grounded” by a system of walls requiring foundations rather than the traditional post and beam structure made of wood and raised off the ground. The Southeast Asian tradition of carpentry uses ingenious structures that are stable with a minimum of material. Carpentry for construction derives from three dimensional thinking from boat building, basket weaving and even kite building. While the traditional wooden house was built on stilts with matting used to enclose the raised living area, the colonial house had thick walls in which window openings could be cut out. With colonial architecture, the wall and the mason are predominant. With traditional architecture, wooden post and beam and the carpenter come into their own. This section "Masonry
Versus Carpentry
" is an excerpt from the book Building Cambodia: New Khmer Architecture 1953-1970, Helen Grant Ross & Darryl Leon Collins .
or ladder
, whilst staircases can be of wooden filigree
, spiral
, or partially built in masonry
. Whereas this means of access would formerly have been handmade
, nowadays prefabricated concrete elements are widely used.
Toilet facilities consist of simple pits in the ground, located away from the house. When filled they are covered with earth.
Any livestock
(pigs
and poultry
) is kept in cages, on the ground level. Rice
farmers have water buffalo
, which are kept in the area around the house.
Houses and health
: in farming communities people do not seem to be particularly concerned about health
. Unless the illness is due to an eating disorder, which can be dealt with by a change in diet
, it is assumed that it is caused by spirits. Due to the collective consciousness of the community, illness may affect not only individuals, but entire households and villages: when this occurs, people believe that the spirits are not taking good care of them, so they move to another house for another ‘contract’. They may even abandon a village for the same reason.
For further information about household and family structures see: http://countrystudies.us/cambodia/42.htm
do not have much furniture
. However, one item that is found in all houses is a multifunctional low table, which is used for sleeping, sitting, talking and working. Different styles of tables are found both upstairs and downstairs – always within the area of the house itself; on the ground level it is a vital element of daily life. A hammock
is used for sleeping during the daytime and is the most relaxing and comfortable piece of furniture
. On the upper floor the same type of table-like furniture is used as a bed. In more urban surroundings, people may have a simple type of sideboard on which they place items of importance: a television
, a Buddha
shrine
, a battery
operated light
, mobile phones, as well as photographs of their grandparents and members of the family who have died. Because of the spatial organisation of the basic Khmer house, furniture
is placed alongside the wall
s within the personal space of the inhabitants. The central area is always left free and is used as a common room.
sign may be displayed outside the house on the street side. A water channel separates the site from the street; here buffalo refresh themselves, and lotus plants are able to grow. With increasing urbanisation, this channel serves to drain excess water from the ground when seasonal rainfall causes flooding. Generally a well, which provides drinking water, can be found on one side at the front of the house. A Buddha
shrine
welcomes visitors. The bare ground in front of the house serves as the main working area for any major task requiring plenty of space: rice
is spread here to dry (sometimes it is even spread on the warm asphalt
of the road
); rice
threshing
takes place here, and milling
, as well as all kinds of repair work.
The house itself is situated on the highest part of the site. It is essential that the main working area on the ground level is not flooded during the monsoon rains. Banana
trees and coconut
palms
grow beside and mainly behind the house. Vegetables may also be cultivated. Vegetation
around the house helps to shelter the house from the intensive sunshine, as well as forming a break against powerful winds or storms.
Depending on the amount of space available, a clay house for rice
storage is situated at the back or to the side of the house. If pigs
are kept, their sty will also be in this area. The back of the house is used as a private space: toilet pits
are dug here for example; garbage
is also deposited here. The area at the back of the house is often used to store palm
leaves
, and all types of material that are not being used for the time being; there is less activity here than at the front of the house.
When children marry, or other relatives move into the household, further separate buildings are built beside the main house. To begin with, when money or building material is scarce, additional family members often live in a temporary shelter on the ground beside or behind the main building. A new building is erected as soon as circumstances permit. Due to lack of money
or shortage of building materials such buildings are generally smaller than the main house.
All settlements are arranged in a similar fashion, in a linear
pattern
along a road
. In more densely populated villages, which lack direct access to the rice fields and are cut off from main roads, dwellings remain independent from each other, separated by a garden with banana
trees, coconut
palms
and a vegetable
plot. In these circumstances the rice fields are situated outside the village.
of the building stand on single foundations. To comply with the specific conditions of the generally loamy soils, single foundations are laid in the following manner:
At the bottom of a 1 metre deep excavation several wooden poles of 1.5 – 2.00 metres length are rammed into the ground and then covered with a layer of compacted stone, followed by a hewn stone or prefabricated concrete slab, which provides the base for the pile
. The excavation is then filled with soil. In a modern version the single foundations are linked with concrete slabs and prefabricated pillars extending to the upper floor are used.
, a single round hardwood tree trunk, such as .(…) is used. Extending from the foundation to the roof, and in the centre as far as the roof ridge
, the piles
, together with the horizontal joist
s, form the bearing structure of the house.
s. In earlier built, traditional houses these continuous elements run through the vertical piles
, whereas in more modern houses joist
s consist of two elements running either side of the piles
.
, joist
s and rafters, on which battens are laid, are linked together to form a rigid roof truss. This construction
helps to stabilise the whole structure of the house, and can be described as a rigid prism
on stilt
s.
and longitudinal rigidity is achieved by passing the horizontal joist
s through the piles
, in close proximity, one above the other. Wedges are used to lock the joists in position. Nowadays this labour intensive technique is no longer used and joists are no longer passed through the piles; instead the joists consist of two identical beams that are placed to each side of the piles, to which they are fixed by screws or nails.
leaf matting, the preparation of which is labour intensive but does not rely on imported materials. The palm leaf matting is fixed directly to the structural framework. Fine bamboo
struts are often used to anchor the matting.
In more sophisticated houses wooden boards are used to clad the walls, aligned either horizontally or vertically. The horizontal version is fixed like weatherboarding, with the upper board overlapping the board below. Boards are butt jointed; in some cases joints are covered with a strip of bamboo
.
lies in the tropical
zone, 10 to 13 degrees north of the equator
. The climate
is dominated by the monsoon
cycle, with dry and wet seasons.
November – February cool and dry, March – May hot and dry, June – August hot and wet, September – early November cool and wet.
Temperatures and rainfall are summarized in the following tables: see http://www.canbypublications.com/cambodia/climate.htm
and humidity recordings show that variations in temperature
of the inner and outer surfaces no greater than + / - 1°C. Thermal imaging confirms this, which leads to the conclusion that there is no noticeable difference in temperature
outside or inside the house. Contrary to expectations, constant air circulation, which would have a cooling effect on surface temperatures, does not take place. However, the gap between the roof and the walls allows air to flow in and out, thereby preventing heat accumulation below the roof (see 6.3.).
is brought about by a combination of the ‘umbrella effect’ of the roof and natural ventilation
. The roof shields the house against direct heat radiation, whilst the continuous opening between the roof and the top of the walls allows a constant flow of air in and out, which prevents an accumulation of warm air beneath the roof.
s of 36°C and up to 80% relative humidity
, and though there is no electric air-conditioning, a comfortable, draught-free environment is maintained. This is possible thanks to the ‘umbrella effect’ of the roof.
.
Village structure: several open areas, and one central, communal area (measuring about 2,500 m2) with a well. The inhabitants and their livestock live communally beneath the same roof. Animals are left to roam freely throughout the day, with no fencing. Clear division of space: the area between houses forms alleyways of variable width. Day-to-day family life takes place on the ground level; on the upper floor individual rooms, partitioned off by cloth hangings, serve as sleeping areas and – if there is one – a place to watch TV.
, Dong and Miao houses are built in a similar fashion to the Khmer house.
The Dong
and Miao
populations are both minority groups in China
, and are privileged. They most probably immigrated into China
from Laos
and north Thailand
in pre-Christian
times.
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
s of 36°C and up to 80% relative humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
the old rural Khmer houses are very comfortable, both at ground level and on the upper floor. In spite of the absence of electric or mechanical air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
, a draught-free environment appears to be attained simply by means of natural ventilation
Natural ventilation
Natural ventilation is the process of supplying and removing air through an indoor space without using mechanical systems. It refers to the flow of external air to an indoor space as a result of pressure or temperatures differences. There are two types of natural ventilation occurring in...
.
Typically, rural Khmer houses are rectangular two-storey buildings, varying in size from four by six metres to about six by ten metres. The basic structure consists of a wooden frame, and the roof is erected before the walls on the upper floor are inserted. The roof frame defines the type of the house: a gabled roof (Phteah Rông Daol), a hipped or mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
(Phteah Pét), the Khmer house (Phteah Keung). In Battambong province most houses have open spaces beneath the roof. They are called Phteah Rông Doeung, which may be derived from thbal kdoeung, meaning that a rice mill was stored at the back of the house under a second awning (ref. Wooden Architecture of Cambodia, ed. By Francois Tainturier, 2006) . A common feature in every type of house is a 5–10 cm gap, on all four sides, between the top of the wall of the upper floor and the roof.
Dwellings are raised on stilt
Stilt
Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates....
s that sometimes extend as high as three metres off the ground. In this way, annual floods do not affect the main room in the houses of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
farmers, whereas rural farmers are able to use the ground level area beneath the house for working and to provide shelter for livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
. One or two wooden ladders, ramps or staircases provide access to the upper floor. The simplest houses consist of only one room on the upper floor, partitioned off to provide a storage place for rice, a bedroom
Bedroom
A bedroom is a private room where people usually sleep for the night or relax during the day.About one third of our lives are spent sleeping and most of the time we are asleep, we are sleeping in a bedroom. To be considered a bedroom the room needs to have bed. Bedrooms can range from really simple...
for the parents, and a further space for unmarried daughters.
The upper floor generally consists of one large room. The main part of this room, the area where visitors are received, is defined by four central pillars; in this space there will be a figure of Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
, a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and a battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
-operated electric light
Electric light
Electric lights are a convenient and economic form of artificial lighting which provide increased comfort, safety and efficiency. Most electric lighting is powered by centrally-generated electric power, but lighting may also be powered by mobile or standby electric generators or battery systems...
in the centre attached to the pillars. The parents’ sleeping space is situated either to the left or the right of the central entrance; textiles are often hung to separate this area from the rest of the room. To the back of the upper floor, on the left, is a space for the girls, whilst the boys have a space reserved for them on the right. This arrangement may vary from one family to another, but children are always separated by gender and placed at the back of the house. Other variations in position relative to the main central area are possible, but this room, with a figure of Buddha, television and battery-operated light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, always remains the most important area.
Khmer house
The original Khmer house is a stilt, or pileDeep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
, house. The structure consists of evenly spaced wooden piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
that extend from the ground to the eaves or the roof ridge. No provision is made at ground level for any form of wall cladding
Cladding (construction)
Cladding is the application of one material over another to provide a skin or layer intended to control the infiltration of weather elements, or for aesthetic purposes....
or protection against wind and rain; by day this area provides shade and serves as a living space for the inhabitants and their livestock. The upper floor, which is closed on all four sides, provides sleeping accommodation during the night; clothes, furniture and objects of value are stored here. A pitched roof
Pitched roof
A pitched roof is a roof for which one or more roof surfaces is pitched more than 10 degrees, and alternately a roof with two slopes that meet at a central ridge. Some definitions are even more general, including any roof with a sloping surface or surfaces....
with an open truss completes the structure. Depending on social status
Social status
In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc....
or financial possibilities, this basic structure may vary. Such variations can often be seen in the partitioning of the upper floor: the division between the parents’ room, or the area set aside for the children, may be extended to include a large veranda, thus providing a separation from the private part of the house. According to the size of the building, further variations may be found: to avoid too great a span width, and economise on material, larger buildings no longer have a simple pitched roof. Based on the framework and depending on the size of the building, 1 – 3 pitched roofs are placed alongside each other; the central roof will be noticeably smaller and narrower. A hip roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
is another variation of the typical roof of a Khmer house; this construction requires a large amount of material and is complicated, so that it is rarely seen. The shape of the roof defines the different house types.
The rural Khmer house: a functional dwelling
The rural Khmer house is a perfect example of a dwellingDwelling
Dwelling, as well as being a term for a house, or for living somewhere, or for lingering somewhere, is a philosophical concept which was developed by Martin Heidegger. Dwelling is about making yourself at home where the home itself is a building that is a house...
whose simple structure serves its main functions. As well as providing a living and working area, the building serves as a shelter, which is of vital importance in the everyday life of a home in a rural setting that is exposed to the elements. During the day the house functions as a large umbrella
Umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
. Work and life go on at ground level, where the most effective shade is provided. This area is used for eating and resting, as well as craftwork and various other tasks such as the repair of farm equipment
Farm equipment
Agricultural machinery is any kind of machinery used on a farm to help with farming. The best-known example of this kind is the tractor.-Soil cultivation:*Cultivator*Cultipacker*Chisel plow*Mulch tiller*Harrow**Spike harrow**Drag harrow...
. As the space below the building is dry and easily accessible some less used areas at its outer limits are used for storage; for example people may collect and store wood here until they are able to build the next house for their relatives. People do not stay upstairs during the day; they only sleep here at night. A separate room beside the main living space, which is often a step lower than the upper floor, is reserved for cooking.
Spatial organisation of the house
Typically, the kitchen is situated at the back of the house, often some steps lower and attached to the main building; it is not uncommon for there to be two entrances to this room, one from the upper floor and one directly from the ground level. Sometimes the kitchen is in a separate building near the house.Much attention is paid to certain details, especially in a new house: the main beam of the roof and the main pillars are partially wrapped with glittering metal bands that invite good spirits to protect the house.
Traditional rural Khmer house
The typical rural house is the basic structure from which all variations have developed. ConstructionConstruction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
elements are made of wood; rounded posts are used for piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
, whilst joist
Joist
A joist, in architecture and engineering, is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof, or floor. It may be made of wood, steel, or concrete. Typically, a beam is bigger than, and is thus distinguished from, a joist...
s are made of squared beams. Simple carpentry
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
is used to join horizontal and vertical elements; the use of screws, which would increase expense, is avoided.
Panels of homemade palm matting cover the sides of the house; fixed to the wooden structure in a simple fashion they merely provide protection against the elements but have no influence on the stability of the construction. Palm matting is also used for roofing.
Traditional house in a settlement
The house pictured here is situated in a settlement. Typical characteristics of such a settlement are:The private sphere of each household is restricted to the area occupied by their dwelling;
Delimited by the stilt structure of the house, it is at ground level that daily life – work, eating and family interaction – takes place. Livestock is kept here, in simple pens.
These typical wooden buildings surround an open space (approximately 150 m2), where there is a communal source of water, which forms the centre of the settlement.
The image on the right shows a 107 years old house and is still owned by the same family. It has a wooden structure
Structure
Structure is a fundamental, tangible or intangible notion referring to the recognition, observation, nature, and permanence of patterns and relationships of entities. This notion may itself be an object, such as a built structure, or an attribute, such as the structure of society...
, with bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
walls. The roof is thatched with rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
straw. The lifespan of such houses is obviously not very long, probably not more than 100 – 120 years.
Traditional waterside Khmer house
These houses stand in water, either temporarily or permanently, and are genuine pileDeep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
buildings, with no foundations.Wooden diagonal
Diagonal
A diagonal is a line joining two nonconsecutive vertices of a polygon or polyhedron. Informally, any sloping line is called diagonal. The word "diagonal" derives from the Greek διαγώνιος , from dia- and gonia ; it was used by both Strabo and Euclid to refer to a line connecting two vertices of a...
struts that strengthen the piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
standing in the water ensure the stability of the building.
Further developments using modern building materials
Modern rural houses differ from simple rural houses above all in the wall cladding and roof covering. Wood is still used for the main structure, the only difference being that the pilesDeep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
stand on individual prefabricated concrete foundations. Instead of the original homemade palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
matting, wooden boarding is used for wall cladding. Window
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
s and doors remain as structural openings, but sometimes they are equipped with shutters
Window shutter
A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails...
. Clay tiles or corrugated tin roofing replace the conventional roof covering that simply provided protection against the sun. Tiles are not homemade and have to be purchased.
The use of modern building materials and the consequent alteration in the basic structure of the building increases the need for ventilation.
Walled rural house
Today’s population has an ever-greater need for security and prosperity.In contemporary houses, the ground level, which was previously an open area simply defined by the open framework of the building, is now walled in. The walls are made of brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and are rendered on the outside and inside. The interior is now no longer an open space but divided into separate rooms by dividing walls. The window and door openings, so important for efficient natural ventilation
Natural ventilation
Natural ventilation is the process of supplying and removing air through an indoor space without using mechanical systems. It refers to the flow of external air to an indoor space as a result of pressure or temperatures differences. There are two types of natural ventilation occurring in...
, are now closed with wood-framed glass windows and a solid wooden front door.
The upper floor is still made of wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
and built in the same way as the traditional wooden houses. However, the walled construction of the ground level means that the load no longer has to be conveyed to the individual points of the supporting structure, but can now be distributed at random. Consequently, we now find constructions that differ radically from the typical traditional basic design.
Masonry Versus Carpentry
Colonial architecture introduced the idea of solid, durable buildings that could be bought, sold and inherited.This was a radical cultural change. Such buildings were “grounded” by a system of walls requiring foundations rather than the traditional post and beam structure made of wood and raised off the ground. The Southeast Asian tradition of carpentry uses ingenious structures that are stable with a minimum of material. Carpentry for construction derives from three dimensional thinking from boat building, basket weaving and even kite building. While the traditional wooden house was built on stilts with matting used to enclose the raised living area, the colonial house had thick walls in which window openings could be cut out. With colonial architecture, the wall and the mason are predominant. With traditional architecture, wooden post and beam and the carpenter come into their own. This section "Masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
Versus Carpentry
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
" is an excerpt from the book Building Cambodia: New Khmer Architecture 1953-1970, Helen Grant Ross & Darryl Leon Collins .
Access
Access to the upper floor is a special feature of Khmer houses and very varied. The simplest form may be a wooden rampInclined plane
The inclined plane is one of the original six simple machines; as the name suggests, it is a flat surface whose endpoints are at different heights. By moving an object up an inclined plane rather than completely vertical, the amount of force required is reduced, at the expense of increasing the...
or ladder
Ladder
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope ladders that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or stiles . Rigid ladders are usually...
, whilst staircases can be of wooden filigree
Filigree
Filigree is a delicate kind of jewellery metalwork made with twisted threads usually of gold and silver or stitching of the same curving motifs. It often suggests lace, and in recent centuries remains popular in Indian and other Asian metalwork, and French from 1660 to the late 19th century...
, spiral
Spiral
In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point.-Spiral or helix:...
, or partially built in masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
. Whereas this means of access would formerly have been handmade
Handmade
Handmade may refer to:* Handmade , 2003* Handmade , 2010* HandMade Films, George Harrison's production company* Rhino Handmade, a record label-See also:...
, nowadays prefabricated concrete elements are widely used.
Household and family structures
If there is a kitchen it is located at the back of the house, generally a few steps lower than the upper floor. Often the kitchen is situated in a separate building near the house, usually behind it.Toilet facilities consist of simple pits in the ground, located away from the house. When filled they are covered with earth.
Any livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
(pigs
PIGS
PIGS is a four letter acronym that can stand for:* PIGS , Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class S, a human gene* PIGS , the economies of Portugal, Italy , Greece and Spain...
and poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
) is kept in cages, on the ground level. Rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
farmers have water buffalo
Water Buffalo
The water buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo is a large bovine animal, frequently used as livestock in southern Asia, and also widely in South America, southern Europe, northern Africa, and elsewhere....
, which are kept in the area around the house.
Houses and health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
: in farming communities people do not seem to be particularly concerned about health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
. Unless the illness is due to an eating disorder, which can be dealt with by a change in diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
, it is assumed that it is caused by spirits. Due to the collective consciousness of the community, illness may affect not only individuals, but entire households and villages: when this occurs, people believe that the spirits are not taking good care of them, so they move to another house for another ‘contract’. They may even abandon a village for the same reason.
For further information about household and family structures see: http://countrystudies.us/cambodia/42.htm
Furniture
People in CambodiaCambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
do not have much furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
. However, one item that is found in all houses is a multifunctional low table, which is used for sleeping, sitting, talking and working. Different styles of tables are found both upstairs and downstairs – always within the area of the house itself; on the ground level it is a vital element of daily life. A hammock
Hammock
A hammock is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a woven network of twine or thin rope stretched with ropes between two firm anchor points such as trees or posts....
is used for sleeping during the daytime and is the most relaxing and comfortable piece of furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
. On the upper floor the same type of table-like furniture is used as a bed. In more urban surroundings, people may have a simple type of sideboard on which they place items of importance: a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, a Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
, a battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
operated light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, mobile phones, as well as photographs of their grandparents and members of the family who have died. Because of the spatial organisation of the basic Khmer house, furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
is placed alongside the wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
s within the personal space of the inhabitants. The central area is always left free and is used as a common room.
The house in its setting
Nowadays the plot of a rural Khmer house is situated between the main street, to the front, and the rice fields at the back. In a busy thoroughfare, there is often a small shop, which consists of a simple wooden shelter beside the street, where all kinds of goods are sold. A party politicalParty Politics
Party Politics is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of Political Science. The journal's editors are David M Farrell and Paul Webb...
sign may be displayed outside the house on the street side. A water channel separates the site from the street; here buffalo refresh themselves, and lotus plants are able to grow. With increasing urbanisation, this channel serves to drain excess water from the ground when seasonal rainfall causes flooding. Generally a well, which provides drinking water, can be found on one side at the front of the house. A Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
welcomes visitors. The bare ground in front of the house serves as the main working area for any major task requiring plenty of space: rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
is spread here to dry (sometimes it is even spread on the warm asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
of the road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
); rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
threshing
Threshing
Threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of cereal grain from the scaly, inedible chaff that surrounds it. It is the step in grain preparation after harvesting and before winnowing, which separates the loosened chaff from the grain...
takes place here, and milling
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
, as well as all kinds of repair work.
The house itself is situated on the highest part of the site. It is essential that the main working area on the ground level is not flooded during the monsoon rains. Banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
trees and coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
palms
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
grow beside and mainly behind the house. Vegetables may also be cultivated. Vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
around the house helps to shelter the house from the intensive sunshine, as well as forming a break against powerful winds or storms.
Depending on the amount of space available, a clay house for rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
storage is situated at the back or to the side of the house. If pigs
PIGS
PIGS is a four letter acronym that can stand for:* PIGS , Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class S, a human gene* PIGS , the economies of Portugal, Italy , Greece and Spain...
are kept, their sty will also be in this area. The back of the house is used as a private space: toilet pits
Pit toilet
A pit toilet is a dry toilet system which collects human excrement in a large container and range from a simple slit trench to more elaborate systems with ventilation. They are more often used in rural and wilderness areas as well as in much of the developing world...
are dug here for example; garbage
Waste
Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
is also deposited here. The area at the back of the house is often used to store palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
leaves
Leaves
-History:Vocalist Arnar Gudjonsson was formerly the guitarist with Mower, and he was joined by Hallur Hallsson , Arnar Ólafsson , Bjarni Grímsson , and Andri Ásgrímsson . Late in 2001 they played with Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the New York Times...
, and all types of material that are not being used for the time being; there is less activity here than at the front of the house.
When children marry, or other relatives move into the household, further separate buildings are built beside the main house. To begin with, when money or building material is scarce, additional family members often live in a temporary shelter on the ground beside or behind the main building. A new building is erected as soon as circumstances permit. Due to lack of money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
or shortage of building materials such buildings are generally smaller than the main house.
All settlements are arranged in a similar fashion, in a linear
Linear
In mathematics, a linear map or function f is a function which satisfies the following two properties:* Additivity : f = f + f...
pattern
Pattern
A pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...
along a road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
. In more densely populated villages, which lack direct access to the rice fields and are cut off from main roads, dwellings remain independent from each other, separated by a garden with banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
trees, coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
palms
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
and a vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
plot. In these circumstances the rice fields are situated outside the village.
Main characteristics
The building consists of a supporting framework, which stands on individual foundations. There are no bracing or shear walls to strengthen the structure. The roof is built before wall cladding is applied.Foundations
The load-bearing pilesDeep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
of the building stand on single foundations. To comply with the specific conditions of the generally loamy soils, single foundations are laid in the following manner:
At the bottom of a 1 metre deep excavation several wooden poles of 1.5 – 2.00 metres length are rammed into the ground and then covered with a layer of compacted stone, followed by a hewn stone or prefabricated concrete slab, which provides the base for the pile
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
. The excavation is then filled with soil. In a modern version the single foundations are linked with concrete slabs and prefabricated pillars extending to the upper floor are used.
Piles
For each pileDeep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
, a single round hardwood tree trunk, such as .(…) is used. Extending from the foundation to the roof, and in the centre as far as the roof ridge
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
, the piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
, together with the horizontal joist
Joist
A joist, in architecture and engineering, is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof, or floor. It may be made of wood, steel, or concrete. Typically, a beam is bigger than, and is thus distinguished from, a joist...
s, form the bearing structure of the house.
Joists
Rectangular-sawn hardwood (such as …) is used for the joistJoist
A joist, in architecture and engineering, is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof, or floor. It may be made of wood, steel, or concrete. Typically, a beam is bigger than, and is thus distinguished from, a joist...
s. In earlier built, traditional houses these continuous elements run through the vertical piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
, whereas in more modern houses joist
Joist
A joist, in architecture and engineering, is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof, or floor. It may be made of wood, steel, or concrete. Typically, a beam is bigger than, and is thus distinguished from, a joist...
s consist of two elements running either side of the piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
.
Roof
PilesDeep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
, joist
Joist
A joist, in architecture and engineering, is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof, or floor. It may be made of wood, steel, or concrete. Typically, a beam is bigger than, and is thus distinguished from, a joist...
s and rafters, on which battens are laid, are linked together to form a rigid roof truss. This construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
helps to stabilise the whole structure of the house, and can be described as a rigid prism
Prism (geometry)
In geometry, a prism is a polyhedron with an n-sided polygonal base, a translated copy , and n other faces joining corresponding sides of the two bases. All cross-sections parallel to the base faces are the same. Prisms are named for their base, so a prism with a pentagonal base is called a...
on stilt
Stilt
Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates....
s.
Assembly
Given the absence of diagonal bracing or shear walls, the stability of the structure depends on the joints. In traditional houses transversalTransversal
In geometry , when two coplanar lines exist such that a third coplanar line passes thru both lines. This third line is named the Transversal....
and longitudinal rigidity is achieved by passing the horizontal joist
Joist
A joist, in architecture and engineering, is one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof, or floor. It may be made of wood, steel, or concrete. Typically, a beam is bigger than, and is thus distinguished from, a joist...
s through the piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
, in close proximity, one above the other. Wedges are used to lock the joists in position. Nowadays this labour intensive technique is no longer used and joists are no longer passed through the piles; instead the joists consist of two identical beams that are placed to each side of the piles, to which they are fixed by screws or nails.
Wall cladding
Differences in the design are basically dependent on the financial means of a family and the materials available. Houses of simple farmers generally have walls made of palmArecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
leaf matting, the preparation of which is labour intensive but does not rely on imported materials. The palm leaf matting is fixed directly to the structural framework. Fine bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
struts are often used to anchor the matting.
In more sophisticated houses wooden boards are used to clad the walls, aligned either horizontally or vertically. The horizontal version is fixed like weatherboarding, with the upper board overlapping the board below. Boards are butt jointed; in some cases joints are covered with a strip of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
.
Thermal comfort in a tropical, sub-tropical climate
CambodiaCambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
lies in the tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
zone, 10 to 13 degrees north of the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
. The climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
is dominated by the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
cycle, with dry and wet seasons.
November – February cool and dry, March – May hot and dry, June – August hot and wet, September – early November cool and wet.
Temperatures and rainfall are summarized in the following tables: see http://www.canbypublications.com/cambodia/climate.htm
Temperature and humidity recordings
TemperatureTemperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
and humidity recordings show that variations in temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
of the inner and outer surfaces no greater than + / - 1°C. Thermal imaging confirms this, which leads to the conclusion that there is no noticeable difference in temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
outside or inside the house. Contrary to expectations, constant air circulation, which would have a cooling effect on surface temperatures, does not take place. However, the gap between the roof and the walls allows air to flow in and out, thereby preventing heat accumulation below the roof (see 6.3.).
Thermal imaging
Infrared thermal imaging reveals that the lowest temperatures are found at ground level beneath the house. It can be said that the comfortable indoor climateClimate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
is brought about by a combination of the ‘umbrella effect’ of the roof and natural ventilation
Natural ventilation
Natural ventilation is the process of supplying and removing air through an indoor space without using mechanical systems. It refers to the flow of external air to an indoor space as a result of pressure or temperatures differences. There are two types of natural ventilation occurring in...
. The roof shields the house against direct heat radiation, whilst the continuous opening between the roof and the top of the walls allows a constant flow of air in and out, which prevents an accumulation of warm air beneath the roof.
Conclusion
Despite indoor temperatureTemperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
s of 36°C and up to 80% relative humidity
Relative humidity
Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in a mixture of air and water vapor. It is defined as the partial pressure of water vapor in the air-water mixture, given as a percentage of the saturated vapor pressure under those conditions...
, and though there is no electric air-conditioning, a comfortable, draught-free environment is maintained. This is possible thanks to the ‘umbrella effect’ of the roof.
Primeval forest settlement north of Siem Reap
Size of settlement: 50 – 80 houses, of which the oldest is approximately 120 years old; typical two-storey Khmer houses on pilesDeep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
.
Village structure: several open areas, and one central, communal area (measuring about 2,500 m2) with a well. The inhabitants and their livestock live communally beneath the same roof. Animals are left to roam freely throughout the day, with no fencing. Clear division of space: the area between houses forms alleyways of variable width. Day-to-day family life takes place on the ground level; on the upper floor individual rooms, partitioned off by cloth hangings, serve as sleeping areas and – if there is one – a place to watch TV.
Similar constructions outside Cambodia
In south-west ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Dong and Miao houses are built in a similar fashion to the Khmer house.
The Dong
Dong people
The Dong , a Kam–Sui people of southern China, are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They are famed for their native-bred Kam Sweet Rice , carpentry skills, and unique architecture, in particular a form of covered bridge known as the "wind and rain...
and Miao
Miao people
The Miao or ม้ง ; ) is an ethnic group recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groups. Miao is a Chinese term and does not reflect the self-designations of the component nations of people, which include Hmong, Hmu, A Hmao, and Kho Xiong...
populations are both minority groups in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and are privileged. They most probably immigrated into China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
from Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and north Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
in pre-Christian
Christianization
The historical phenomenon of Christianization is the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once...
times.