Tiki hut type roof thing information please...

I'd have done a search, but I don't know what it's called. You know, the high in front kind of peaked roof on polynesian structures. It must have a name.

Anyway I'm interested in (not only what it's called) but it's archetectural significance, structural rationale, etc. Just pointing me towards a good reference would be much appreciated.

buncha Mahalos to ya!

Indigenous South Pacific dwellings is one of my interests. The roof line I think your talking about probably originated in Sumatra, although it can be found in other areas as well. The best explanation I have heard is that the roof line was based on the boats they used. Just speculating here, but the "A" frame is a pretty simple structure and is easy to retrofit to an existing structure which could explain why it was so common in Tiki bars and restaurants. High peaked gable and hip roofs are common in most tropical Pacific climates since the heat raises.

thanks K.D. So "gable and hip" would be the term to search for? Not that I can do anything about it, but for fun I was thinking about designing a little beach get-away with that kind of look. Besides heat dispersal would there be any other benefits? How would it hold up in a storm? Looks like it might act like a big kite. Can you recommend any books on the subject?

[ Edited by: spy-tiki on 2004-06-09 18:20 ]

Hip & Gable are western terms, so they wont help much in a search. The roof of the pic I posted is a gable roof. A hip roof has slopes on all sides, another popular style in the South Pacific was the conical or round buildings, think of half of an upside down coconut shell. There was also a lot of variations. Try typing in the names of South Pacific countries followed by house or home in the google "image" search. Another reason for the high roofs was that they normally had a fire pit that burned continually inside the structure for cooking and heat. Since they didn't have chimney's, the smoke would raise into the roof, The smoke also helped seal the roof from rain and keep insects out. They actually hold up pretty good in a storm and rain, a cyclone would normally level the house if one were to hit it.

BOT has great pictures of western Tiki building's and covers some of the history of the original dwelling's as well. Another book that might interest you is "Tropical Asian Style" it mainly focuses on contemporary tropical homes, but has a chapter on it's origins. There isn't a lot of information out there.

Below is a rendering of the house I'm building in Fiji, it's a contemporary design, but I borrowed from local Fijian "Vale's" and the Bali Pavilion style. The roof is a hip roof, the small house on the lower left is another example of a gable roof.

[ Edited by: Kava Dan on 2004-06-09 20:53 ]

I found a website that goes into detail on Sumatran Architecture & that roof style:

http://www.info-indo.com/indonesia/readmore/indonesian_architecture_05.htm

Several pictures, discussion of cultural differences between the architecture of various tribes, & that the roof styles traditional name is "tolak angin ('shield against the wind')."