Study on the Indigenous Building Materials of Traditional Houses in Myanmar

Abstract

In this paper, a study on the various indigenous materials used for the construction of the traditional houses of Myanmar is made. The aim of the study is to collect the basic data for further study about the influences and effects of the use of indigenous building materials on the human comfort inside of the house in correlation with the environment and weather condition. Detail investigation is made on the villages of some races; Bamar, Mon, Shan and Inn-thar. The authors show the type of structure of house in Myanmar and characters of the investigated houses based on the fieldworks and questionnaire, which are located at ten traditional villages and a new developed town. Various kinds of wood and bamboo used for construction materials and leaves and grasses used for roofing are shown as the common indigenous materials. Actual conditions of the indigenous materials used for structure, roofing, flooring and walling in each village and new town are clarified. © 2003, Architectural Institute of Japan. All rights reserved.