Hundreds of people share communal houses
The earth buildings are group-oriented residences with dozens or even hundreds of rooms. Two thirds of the houses are used to accommodate roughly 20 families or a clan of hundreds of family members and each family occupies one vertical unit. Some buildings don't have an open round hallway; instead each family has its own private staircase.
The earth buildings are made of earth, stone, bamboo and wood, all readily available materials. After constructing the walls with rammed earth; branches, strips of wood and bamboo chips are laid in the wall as "bones" to reinforce it. The result is a well-lit, well-ventilated, windproof, and quakeproof building that is warm in winter and cool in summer.
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