“Beehive Houses” beat the heat in Syria

Trying to stay cool? Syrians have been using these earthen houses for that exact purpose since 3,700 BC.

Made from mud, straw, dirt, and stones, the beehive-like dwellings are lean, green, and super-cool to look at.

Beehive houses, built throughout the rural farming communities of Syria’s hottest deserts, are also found in it’s largest urban cities. Aleppo, the largest city in the country, is home to several beehive dwellings, which are used for storage and residency.

Made of local, natural materials, the structures‘ thick walls keep the interior cool by keeping out the sun’s heat. Builders begin by stacking mud bricks in a circle and building height in a conical shape, which is then capped off by a dome. The interior and exterior walls are packed tight with straw and mud for insulation — even while the desert can heat up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the interior of each dwelling remains around 75-85! The dry desert heat also acts as a sealant for the walls, making them hard and durable.

At the top of each building, an oculus provides the inside with light and draws hot, rising air up and out. The interior is protected from the elements (even the rare rainy season) by the structure’s conical shape, which facilitates the quick draining of rain, allowing for minimal erosion of the homes’ outer structure.

About the Author

Erin Brodwin

Erin Brodwin is a freelance multimedia journalist specializing in urban and environmental reporting. She currently works for the NYCity News Service, a student-powered initiative of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. A Southern California transplant to New York City, Erin has worked as a Student Director of the Student Sustainability Center at the University of California, San Diego, where she was instrumental in writing policy which made UCSD one of the first Fair Trade Certified campuses in the nation. Erin’s eye for design, her background in critical race and gender studies, and her passion for all things sustainable has taken her to places like the City of Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board, where she lead their Communications division, and Goodwill Industries International, where she worked as a grant writer and provided vocational services to low-income residents of East Los Angeles. Erin speaks English and Spanish and has lived and studied in Southern California, Morelia, Mexico, Tarragona, Spain, and Salvador, Brazil. She currently resides in New York City. You can view her portfolio (although it's still a work-in-progress!) at erinbrodwin.journalism.cuny.edu

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