The Romans...

[Galant]

I find their architecture fascinating.

Case in point - the Compluvium/Impluvium.

Having lived in a few hot climates my thoughts have often turned to more economical/green ways of achieving more comfortable living conditions. I'm still convinced there's some merit in designing homes with a 'sunken' area. Anyway, today I stumbled onto the Compluvium/Impluvium design.

The Compluvium was simply a opening in the roof through which rain could fall and the Impluvium was a sort of shallow pool where ran water could gather and often there would be a cistern beneath. One of the benefits of this was that the evaporating water could cool the house in summer.

Open roofing and standing water not being free from their downsides I wonder sometimes if our home designs aren't absent some potentially clever, enjoyable and beneficial features purely because our architectural philosophies are inherited and we simply don't consider alternative ways of looking at things.

Beautiful.

[kalniel]

Cost mostly.

I'm lucky enough to have worked in several places where they did have a large budget for buildings and they've incorporated many of these kinds of architectural ideas, but they cost a lot more to build.

[Dooms]

My house in Roatan had a similar thing... Well it was a hole in the roof and a bucket underneath but its close!

[wolfsSpirit]

I seen some houses , basically it's more used for indoors gardening - indoor ponds with fish etc.
Ofcourse it won't be used for bathing anymore.. not a good idea anyway with the polution nowadays and i prefer my baths hot.. not cold

[santa claus]

I often wonder how our cities would look if our homes were domes. No need for roof tiles or guttering; nice open plan living. I suppose there are downsides?

[HalloweenJack]

as for the romans - what have they ever done for us.....