SAMOA

IN BUILDINGS

A SURVEY OF TROPICAL COUNTRIES

ON LOW-TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION

A SURVEY OF TROPICAL COUNTRIES IN BUILDINGS

ON LOW-TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION

| SAMOA

Located south of the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean.
total land area is 2,934 km consisting of the two large islands of Upolu and Savai'i which account for 99% of the total land area, and eight small islets. The Samoan islands are volcanic, with coral reefs surrounding most of them

A SURVEY OF TROPICAL COUNTRIES IN BUILDINGS

ON LOW-TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION

| SAMOA

geography

The climate is equatorial/monsoonal, with an average annual temperature of 26.5 C (79.7 F), and a rainy season from November to April.

CLIMATE DATA Month Averag e high C (F) Averag e low C (F) Jan 30.4 (86.7) 23.9 (75) Feb 30.6 (87.1) 24.2 (75.6) 368.0 (14.488 ) Mar 30.6 (87.1) 24.0 (75.2) 352.1 (13.862 ) Apr 30.7 (87.3) 23.8 (74.8) May 30.4 (86.7) 23.4 (74.1) Jun 30.0 (86) 23.2 (73.8) Jul 29.5 (85.1) 22.6 (72.7) Aug 29.6 (85.3) 22.8 (73) Sep 29.9 (85.8) 23.1 (73.6) Oct 30.1 (86.2) 23.4 (74.1) Nov 30.3 (86.5) 23.6 (74.5) 261.7 (10.303 ) Dec 30.5 (86.9) 23.8 (74.8) 357.5 (14.075 ) Year 30.22 (86.39) 23.48 (74.27) 2,965 (116.73 3)

Precipit 489.0 ation m (19.252 m ) (inches)

211.2 (8.315)

192.6 (7.583)

120.8 (4.756)

120.7 (4.752)

113.2 (4.457)

153.9 (6.059)

224.3 (8.831)

Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN)[47]

A SURVEY OF TROPICAL COUNTRIES IN BUILDINGS

ON LOW-TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION

| SAMOA

climate

The architecture of Samoa is characterized by openness, with the design mirroring the culture and life of the Samoan people who inhabit the Samoa Islands.

Architectural concepts are incorporated into Samoan proverbs, oratory and metaphors, as well as linking to other art forms in Samoa, such as boat building
and tattooing.

A SURVEY OF TROPICAL COUNTRIES IN BUILDINGS

ON LOW-TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION

| SAMOA

Art and arch.

Fale is the Samoan word for all types of houses, from small to large.
In general, traditional Samoan architecture is characterized by an oval There are no walls. The base of the architecture is a skeleton frame.

or circular shape, with wooden posts holding up a domed roof.

The fale is lashed and tied together with a plaited sennit rope called afa, handmade from dried coconut fibre.

A SURVEY OF TROPICAL COUNTRIES IN BUILDINGS

ON LOW-TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION

| SAMOA

architecture

The form of a fale creates both physical and invisible spatial areas and dictate areas of social interaction.

many are raised about a meter off the ground on stilts, sometimes with an iron roof

The fale tele serves as a meeting house for chief council meetings, family gatherings, funerals or chief title investitures and is always situated at the front of all other houses in an extended family complex.

A SURVEY OF TROPICAL COUNTRIES IN BUILDINGS

ON LOW-TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION

| SAMOA

architecture

The completed, domed framework is covered with thatch (lau leaves). The best quality of thatch is made with the dry leaves of the sugarcane. If sugarcane leaf was not available, the same manner.

palm leaves of the coconut tree

was used in the

Protection from sun, wind or rain, as well as from prying eyes,

was achieved by suspending from the fau running round the house several of a sort of drop-down Venetian blind, called pola. Polas afford ample protection from the elements, and it being possible to let them down in sections; seldom is the whole house is closed up.

A SURVEY OF TROPICAL COUNTRIES IN BUILDINGS

ON LOW-TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION

| SAMOA

architecture

The natural foundations of a fale site are coral, sand, and lava,
with sometimes a few inches of soil in some localities. Drainage is therefore good. The top layers of the flooring are smooth pebbles and stones.
TYPES OF FALE: fale

faleo'o (small house), traditionally long in shape, was really an addition to the main house | the afolau (long house), a longer fale shaped like a
|

tele (big house), the most important house

stretched oval, served as the dwelling house or guest house | The tunoa (cook house) is a flimsy structure, small in size, and not really to be considered as a house.

A SURVEY OF TROPICAL COUNTRIES IN BUILDINGS

ON LOW-TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION

| SAMOA

Samoan architecture is generally characterized by openness which we see in the design of their Fale built without any enclosing wall and put together without the use of any screw, bolt or hinge. Their fales are built with great quality up to the smallest details. Few of the things we could learn and use from their architecture is their creation ingenious creation of polas (drop-down venetian blinds) and their flooring.

A SURVEY OF TROPICAL COUNTRIES IN BUILDINGS

ON LOW-TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION

| SAMOA