Monday, November 28, 2011

Igloos without glue




Even if you have seen it before ( possibly back in grade school) this National Film Board documentary is worth watching on youtube again. It illustrates the indigenous people, working in artic Canada with natural local material, building a useful shelter by shaping and fitting blocks of snow together without relying on a lot of rules or regulations, nor using fancy implements beyond an ivory knife. 


It is fascinating to see how they do it. The domed dry snow house requires a working knowledge of simple structural principles and a determination to build something that will do the job with very little fuss. These houses may not pass any buiding codes nor last beyond one winter's harshness; yet the builders are skilled people who have mastered a way of building perfectly good shelters, engineered with an understanding of the land on which they build and the materials that they availed themselves of.


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1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing that! I remember watching that in grade school and thinking 'i could do that'. I never really got to making one proper but was
    fortunate to grow up where the drifts seemed mountainess and tunnelling
    was the alternative.
    I'd love to see what your spin would be were you to do it in stone! I'm sure it would be both awesome and original.
    Have fun with that.

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