Igloo

The last two weeks have been marked with record snowfall in the area. School was canceled, and there was more snow outside than I had ever seen in my life. We decided to let the children inside us out and build an Igloo. Of course, we built it for fun as southerns that already had a home. Our method was to pile the snow into a large mound, pack it down, and then carve out the inside. The entrance was on a downhill slope. So, to enter we would lay on a sled and slide all the way in. The inside was comfortable enough for three people to sit up in. It was also surprisingly less cold inside our southern style igloo than it was outside.

It got me thinking about how igloos are often the primary homes of individuals in colder climates. I can begin to understand how proper construction of the igloo along with furnishings can make an igloo comfortable enough to live in.

As the snow melts and the temperatures rise, our little temporary igloo is shrinking. In colder climates, I imagine that the low temperatures keep igloo homes from melting.

For your viewing pleasure, I am including more sophisticated igloo designs. After all igloos are a form of residential design.

http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/inupiat-eskimo-igloo-438-pictures.htm

http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~rjs/index_rjs_kiruna2010.htm

http://ameenanotamina.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/i-love-igloos/