Semi-Nomadic Homes
Looking to ancient and contemporary modes of nomadic living to inform the design of Alt+Land’s semi-nomadic dwellings.
The Alt+Land development model shifts ideas of static private land ownership, giving priced-out renters the opportunity to build up towards the ownership of shares. The model works to support and sustain the UK farming community while also providing a high standard of living for temporary residents.
The proposed development model is non-static, meaning none of the tenants own a singular plot of land. Rather, each non-farming tenant owns shares in the land. In purchasing shares, they are given exclusive use of a plot. This plot is relocated every soil-cycle of 3 years.
During this cycle, a quarter of the farmer’s field area is set aside to recover/ lay fallow.
The vacant and recovering land is then used for non-invasive housing. The housing is relocated to an adjacent field every 3rd year. In the meantime, the farmer is able to maintain agricultural production on the other three quarters of their land. As the land-use rotates throughout the farm, the soil is able to restore its bacterial ecosystem and nitrate/carbon balance.
The model consequently promotes a semi-nomadic lifestyle where every 3 years, in line with the soil’s natural restoration, the tenants move their dwellings from their current plot of land, to another on the adjacent field.
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People are living an increasingly nomadic way of life. More people are travelling for work, pleasure or splitting some between different locales. The technological advances of the last few decades mean that we can now easily carry out relationships with others on a global scale. This has been proven all the more viable by the restraints of Covid-19. Lockdown has shown us that it is not necessary to be in office in order to participate in the work place. Increasing amounts of people are deciding to work from a remote location, coining the term ‘Digital Nomads’ (Lea, 2019). It is no longer necessary to be in a specific locale, and travel has never been so easy. Nomadism is occurring at a greater scale, so why couldn’t this translate to a new model for housing?
In the current UK development model there is little precedent set for nomadic living. The most common nomadic homes are residential canal boats or mobile homes. A survey I conducted (January 2021, Appendix B) about preferred modes of living, showed that in a sample group of British people aged 20–30, 50% of people would consider living in a ‘nomadic residence’. Out of those, 77.8% said that they did not see this as a long term living solution. Further, when asked whether they would prefer to rent or buy, 90% said they would prefer buying property over renting. None the less, 100% of the group said that they would want to buy a home in the future, with justifications of ‘stability’, ‘investment’ and ‘financial security’.
Thanks to Thatcher’s Right to Buy (Moore, 2014), home ownership is so deeply embedded into the British consciousness that the idea of a nomadic home is not considered as a viable long term investment. As such, it has been disregarded by developers and architects alike.
However, static living and static home ownership is a very recent phenomenon. Prior to the Neolithic Revolution, about 10,000 years ago, there were little to no permanent settlements. Nomadism was the norm. Mobility (residential, logistical, long-term and migration) was a necessity for human survival as no one single locale could provide for all human needs. Of course, no society is truly sedentary, not even our contemporary society, we just move in different ways (Kelly, 1992, p.43–66) (Balter, 2005)
Alt+Land’s prioritisation of soil health has instilled a sort of semi-nomadism within the development model. Semi-nomadism, or transhumance as it is known amongst anthropologists, is way of life adopted by Pastoralist nomads. They move their livestock from one pasture to another, in order to stop the land depleting beyond its ability to recover. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2021)
Case Study 01: Mongolian Ger
In Mongolia, 1/3 of the population are Pastoralist nomads. This figure until recently was 1/2 of the population, however numbers have been in steady decline due to factors such as want for greater education, and harder living conditions due to climate change (Carlisle, 2007).
Mongol nomads on the Central Asian steppe have been living in Ger (Yurts) for millennia. In the 14th century Marco Polo wrote of the “circular houses made of wood and covered with felt, which they carry about with them on four-wheeled wagons wherever they go. The framework of rods is so neatly and skilfully constructed that it is light to carry.” (Lin, 2011)
Little has changed in its construction since: designed to be dismantled quickly, the assembly or disassembly of a Ger can take anywhere between 30 minutes and an afternoon — dependent on energy levels and group morale. The home is transported on back of a Jeep or a few camels (Carlisle, 2007).
The structure is assembled around the family’s furniture. Pieces of carved wood are fastened together into an accordion-lattice wall. The wall is then connected to a wooden crown with roof poles, these slot into the crown and are fastened into the lattice. The crown is further supported by two centre posts. The structure is covered with multiple layers of felt, and secured with tension bands which hold the rafters in a state of compression, creating a strong, stable structure (Grossman, 2012). There is no further need to secure the structure to the land, due to its streamline form. (Lin, 2011)
Inside the Ger, rugs and tapestries are hung on the walls, and laid on the floor — many contemporary Ger now use linoleum instead (Kelly, 2017). The opening in the centre of the roof, ensures natural ventilation: fresh air circulates through the ger, as the cold air flows down and hot air outward. The interior is easy to heat and cool, using a wood-burning stove at the centre which distributes heat evenly. In harsh winter months, extra layers of felt are wrapped around the structure to provide extra insulation. Likewise, layers can be removed in warmer months.
The long standing use of the Ger is a testament to its ease of use and adaptability. Should an element of the structure break, it is easily removed and replaced. As it uses natural materials, this is a sustainable practice. Further, the nomadic lifestyle encourages a life of little to no material consumption. As everything is moved seasonally, it is important to only carry the bare necessities.
The Ger is fascinating in how it essentially becomes a flat-pack home. However, a greater take-away is how it facilitates the nomadic lifestyle. All the materials are sustainable, taken from their surroundings or their livestock — this creates an increased awareness of consumption and a greater understanding of the natural environment. The warmth of materials and the wood burner give the Ger a touch of domesticity and comfort. The Ger also requires the inhabitant to stick to the basics: there is little thrivolity, and when there is, it is done sustainably. Kelly observes the near ubiquitous adoption of solar LED panels & batteries, which is on occasion connected to a TV (Kelly, 2017).
Case Study 02: ÁPH80
Developed by Ábaton Arqitectos, ÁPH80 is a transportable dwelling for two people. The home can be transported on the back of a truck, and placed in almost any environment.
The pitched building is clad with panels of cement wood-board. At the top of the pitch, two galvanised steel anchor points protrude from the cladding. The anchors are fixed to the timber structure, and are used to move the home using a crane.
As it isn’t a permanent structure, the home only requires lightweight foundations. On site, eight holes (350x350x200mm) are dug in a grid layout. Timber pads are stacked in the holes to deal the site topography. Once the pads are level, a steel bracket is mounted on top, into which the building slots. Externally, the building appears to hover above ground (ÁBATON, 2013). The entire home is prefabricated in a factory in Spain using local, sustainable materials. The construction is simple, and they have omitted external fixtures to ensure that the building can be moved with ease.
The 80m2 interior is clad with whitewashed Spanish fir panels and comprises three separate spaces, a living room/ kitchen, a bathroom and a double bedroom, each 27m2. The rooms are fit with water, waste and electrical amenities. It merely needs to be ‘plugged in’ on site (Dirksen, 2013).
There is room for improvement in this model of nomadic home. It is only equip for two people and it could be more self sufficient through use of solar panels and rain water recycling. Further, the mode of moving (crane + truck) could be impractical on a larger scale. If moving 80 homes from one plot of land to another, it can quickly drain time and financial resources. However, the home is designed to be placed in one location for the duration of 3–5 years. (Dirksen, 2013) The mode of moving reflects the intention to staying in one place for a longer period of time than the seasonal movements of Mongolian nomads.
Although ÁPH80 is stripped back to ‘basics’, it is still equipped with all the essentials for a comfortable lifestyle, and doesn’t compromise on the necessities of contemporary life (electricity/ running water etc.). Adopting such a model for Alt+Land’s low-impact housing would mean that inhabitants would not have to forgo their modern creature comforts. Most importantly, the low-impact, raised foundations mean that there are only 8 points of ground contact, leaving space for the soil to breathe beneath.
The Alt+Land home is a prefabricated house with 2 size options, 1 bed (2 person), and 2 bed (4 person). Upon buying tenant shares, the size of home is stipulated.
The core principle of the design is to consider the regeneration of the soil, and therefore how the dwelling adjusts to its triennial relocation. Inspired by the low-impact and minimum contact foundations of ÁPH80, the ALT+LAND’s housing adopts a similar approach: the home sits on 10, 300x300mm truncated concrete footings. The footings are threaded with steel rods and bolts which connect to a steel plate on the base of the structure. The rods can be adjusted in length, allowing for placement on uneven topography. Further concrete pads can be stacked for placement on a site with more extreme changes in topography. The concrete footings sit in small trenches, 200mm deep. Each dwelling has a total of 0.9m2 direct contact with the soil. The low impact on ground allows the field to lay fallow during residential occupation.
The home is designed with ease of transit in mind. The external height of the home is 3.7m, 3.5m internally. When mounted on a standard lorry the total height is under 5m, this is the standard minimum clearance under bridges on UK motorways (HSE, 2020). Additionally, essential internal fittings such as storage, kitchen, bathroom and bed are fixed in place, for easy transportation. It is recommended that fragile and lightweight items are packed away securely, or fixed in place during transit.
The building construction was designed with sustainability in mind. All materials and manufacturing of the houses is UK based, keeping the supply chain local. The pitched form’s structure uses cross laminated timber (CLT) panels, is insulated with 150mm of sheep wool and is externally clad in charred Scottish Larch. The cladding covers the whole external surface, creating lockable shutters over openings, this helps secure the home during the move. Further, each home is has solar panels mounted on the roof, and rain water recycling units as a sustainable means of providing electricity and water. This is supported with a backup supply provided on the farm.
The home are simple but comfortable. The design tries to embody the simplicity and ‘essentials-only’ attitude of that is encouraged by the nomadic lifestyle in the Ger, without compromising the comforts of contemporary life. In the survey I conducted, the concerns raised about living semi-nomadically were related to comfort of the homes and how “nice” they would be. Alternative modes of living are often associated with a ‘bohemian’ aesthetic. In order to stay clear of such assumptions, the design has tried to create a house that has a domestic familiarity, this is achieved through its form, the hearth, and the interior. The interior is plain in its finish; completely clad in a white-washed birch. The colours are muted but warm. They will be compatible with a variety of interior preferences and also leaves room for customisation by the tenant.
Large openings in the central living spaces connect the home to its surroundings, and bring in plenty of light, heightening the tenants awareness of their rural location. Like the lifestyle encouraged by the Ger home, the semi-nomadic living model encourages tenants to develop more sustainable habits and live less consumer driven lifestyles. We hope that proximity to the natural environment, witnessing the seasons, and farming cycles on a daily basis will create a consciousness of the natural world which we inhabit, and what it takes to sustain our contemporary lives.
Bibliography
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