Houses in Extreme Regions, and Plans for Future Living
Houses in Extreme Regions, and Plans for Future Living
  • Reporter Choi Jong-hyeok
  • 승인 2014.11.05 01:26
  • 댓글 0
이 기사를 공유합니다

In ancient times, people lived in different houses that were fit for a particular environment. The environ- ment on Earth can be categorized into six types: Polar Regions, Subarctic Regions, Temperate Climate Regions, Tropical Regions, Dry Climate Regions and Alpine Climate Regions. Among these six types of climates, the houses in extreme environ- ments also exist. Dry Climate, Tropical, Polar and Subarctic Regions have houses suitable for surviving in extreme conditions. Plan for living on a new planet and dwellings in space exist as well.
Firstly, in the Dry Climate where there are only a few materials for construction of any sorts, people procured stones and dirt as building materials. Due to the dirt storm and intense wind, most of their houses have small doors and windows. Another form of house is an underground house -it has the merits of the stone and dirt houses and is able to keep the temperature low since it is located underground. Countries located in a Dry Climate region include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and China. In Tropical Regions, since there are many trees, grasses and many other resources, building materials are diverse. Due to the heavy rain, most houses are located above the ground to avoid floods and have steep roof system to shield against the rain. Due to the heat, houses have ventilation windows. Especially in Cam- eroon, typical housings have a wide opening controlled by a rope inside the house. Tropical Regions include Cameroon, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.
Secondly, Polar Regions have many trees, especially oaks and conifers. Making trees into logs, people began to build log houses. Due to low temperature, the main function of the house is to maintain the temperature. Also, grasses on the top of houses keeps the house warm and prevents frost from forming. One example is the dwellings of Greenland. Greenland has a tundra climate with temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius in winter and about 10 degrees Celsius in summer. The structure of houses may deform due to the heat. For prevention, they mounted columns and built tall house. In Subarctic Regions, a well-known house called an “igloo” is the prime example. Igloos have a tunnel-like entrance that prevents cold air from flowing into the interior of the house. Inside the igloo, Inuits use fires and leathers to keep the house warm.
Since 1971, a new type of special house began to exist. It is the space station. Space stations provide electricity from solar battery. Special wall is made out of sodium, copper, and alloys to shield the heat and to maintain a suitable temperature. A dock port that transports freight from the earth is also noticeable. Space stations are designed to help astronauts research space. Recently, NASA has proceeded with the space colony plan under supposition that the earth will be uninhabitable. The target planet is Ceres located between Mars and Jupiter. After digging up the planet, people plan to solve the energy problem by using solar batteries. Artificially constructed ocean could prevent ultraviolet ray and provide foods. Gravity could also be generated by rotation installation. Researchers expect that about ten billion people would be able to live in a space station.