Houses came into existence when human beings began to lead a settled life. They constructed houses according to their needs with materials available around them.
Most of the people used bamboo, wood, straw, grass, leaves and mud because these things were available everywhere. As the years went by, people used new and better things for building their houses.
Houses and the Materials Used
Houses have been changing their form and style throughout the history. People changed their housing style according to the climatic, economic and social conditions.
Traditional houses often had some designs related to the culture of the people. In olden days, the houses had traditional symbols and art. They had high ceilings for better air circulation. There used to be lot of open space in and around those houses.
Modern Houses often do not have any cultural symbols. Materials used are expensive and are often brought from other regions or countries. These materials are of latest technology and they give a better look.
Modern houses are made of concrete, reinforced steel, bricks, expensive wood-work and glass. These houses have more provisions for a comfortable living.
Houses that are built with bricks, cement, steel, etc. last for many years. These houses are painted with attractive colours. Doors and windows also look beautiful. Most of the modern houses are built in this manner. These houses are called pucca houses because they are strong and have a very long life. Houses built with mud, bamboo and leaves do not last long. The walls and floors are smeared with mud and cow- dung. These houses remain cool in summers. They need a lot of maintenance. Such types of houses are called kachcha houses.
Most of such houses in rural areas are small and weak in nature. Today people build cemented and concrete houses in rural areas too.
Nowadays multistoreyed buildings are constructed. These are built for various purposes. Some buildings are used for business while others are used for residential purposes. These types of buildings are built mainly in cities where there is a shortage of land. Buildings with many storeys are called multistoreyed buildings.
They accommodate many families on a single floor. These families live independently in a flat or an apartment. Facilities like maintenance, car parking, plumbing, power back up, swimming pool, playground, gym and security are provided by the housing society.
Cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi have skyscrapers and super-towers. These are very tall buildings of many storeys and they are the pride of the city. In the midst of multistoreyed buildings, we also find people living in small houses or huts. Places where groups of huts are clustered in a small area are called slums.
These huts are built very closely and have very narrow streets. These are built of plywood, tin-sheets, plastic or cardboard.
People live there in poor living conditions. They often do not have clean drinking water and proper sanitation facilities. These slums are breeding grounds for rats and mosquitoes.
Environment-Friendly Houses
We can also make houses environment-friendly. These houses should have provisions for natural light, fresh air, etc.
We can even use solar and other renewable energy sources instead of thermal power electricity. Using compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) or light emitting diodes (LED) saves a large amount of electricity.
As such, it also reduces the amount of carbon dioxide and heat emitted into the atmosphere by thermal power stations.
