FROM SHELTER TO HOUSING : AN EAST-MEDITERRANEAN EXAMPLE TO THE TRADITIONAL TWIG-KNITTED TIMBER CONSTRUCTIONS: THE HUG HOUSEAuthor: Hale Tokay and B.Selcen YalcinZ. Hale Tokay is an associate professor at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul at the department of restoration. She took part in the Traditional Architecture in Cukurova Region, Hug House” project in 2002.B. Selcen Yalcin is a research assistant at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul at the department of restoration.

Today it is still in use in Central and Eastern Blacksea Region, Trache, the Balkans and Cukurova Basin in eastern mediterrenean region.

The buildings examined had load bearing poles cut off from trees and between the poles there were walls knitted with binding tiny twigs which had built a structural system generally called “twig-knitting”.

The Hug House belongs to a traditional house typology common within the Cukurova Region and East Mediterranean Basin ( Cilicia in ancient times).

‘Hug’ technique had been used by Hittites during the second millennium B.C. These houses had been built in cottage forms with circular plans, without any foundations and with load-bearing timber poles.

‘shelter gathered at random’. Hug Houses are made of quicksand bulrush, reed, twigs of myrtle tree and zanzalak tree.

Foundations: The buildings are built of light materials like timber and mortar, they are not heavy structures. Thus,

they don’t need continuous deep foundations. Normally a continuous foundation

supports the exterior. Sometimes only a hole is dug for each wooden. The support ing

poles are placed into holes with a diameter of 50-60 and a depth of 30-50cm. These cavities which

are supported by pebbles and stones are afterwards filled with wet earth(mud) and compressed.

Floors: After adjusting the uneven ground, the floors are formed by compressing on the ground a 5-10 cm earth layer. Then, a straw mat is laid on the floor.

Walls: Large (r= 20 cm) and small sectioned (r=10-15 cm) trees and tiny twigs (r= 4-5 cm) are used as the construction material of the walls, as well as reeds, bulrush and shrub.Between the poles, small twigs are placed and combined. Afterwards they are consolidated with horizontal beams. Finally, the wall structure is composed by ‘knitting’ between supporting elements and partition walls with organic materials. The empty space within the skeleton is filled with mud on both sides.

Although most Hug buildings have one floor, there are also few two-storey examples which have survived today.

This vernacular architecture and traditional building tech-n ique have been used unt i l 20th century, but unfor-tunately have decreased in number.They face the threat of extinction.Few examples of this typology which have survived ,should be examined and taken under protection.

Its history dates back 9000 years

These houses with primitive elevations are examples of rural architecture before urbanisation.

The Hug House

Building Technology and Material

History

The Conditions Today – Conclusion

Examples

PLAN SECTION SITE PLAN OF THE YUMUKTEPE EXCAVATION

FOUNDATIONS

ROOF CONSTRUCTION

A TYPICAL HUG HOUSE PLAN

WALL CONSTRUCTION