The attic Being the highest room of the house just under the boiling metal roof, the attic is used only for storage. This is the place where most of the harvest is gathered.
This balcony is a blessing. For shadow and for light, for the rain and for its protection, for social gatherings and for privacy... The housekeeper didn’t want me to take a picture first. She found her room dirty and unworthy to keep in memory. “Why would you feel ashamed of such a good harvest? You can be proud of your work and of your house.” She let me take the picture... <
The first floor We would describe the first floor as adaptable as the ground floor if there wasn’t any wooden beds which defines less ambiguously the function of the space. Yet, many other activities happen there as well, and it is not uncommon to find cooking places
or storage. This is also the place where more personal belongings are kept, and where the altar is set up. In a few houses of the village, there stands the worst invention of the second millennium... the TV. The walls can be made of wood, bamboo reeds, or can be the continuity of the massive stone and mud wall. In the first option, the air ventilates easier between the wooden slats and the room is less dark than the ground floor. In some houses, we find a big rice storage made of bamboo reeds. The freshly harvest rice is kept there before going to the sieve to separate the shell from the grain.
66 ARCHITECTURE AND HOUSING TYPOLOGY
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of the whole house. Facing the sun but covered by the roof, the maize can hang there, dry for a few months without being harmed by insects. Furthermore, the balcony is a roof for the pati. Structurally, the platform stands in cantilever on beams extended from the first floor. These beams support the load of the balcony, in addition to the load of the columns partly bearing the roof. On the same balcony, one can find peace on the small part behind the staircase. (I used to read and write there, out of the circulation. The fact that there is no proper connection with the main platform doesn’t scare the children... sometimes unfortunately when you want to find peace and loneliness.)