longhouses

A longhouse is an elongated dwelling designed to accommodate multiple families or households within a single building. It has appeared in various forms around the world, from Europe to North America and Southeast Asia, reflecting differing social structures, climates, and building materials. Common features include a timber or frame construction, a long footprint, and a layout that groups living spaces along a central axis or hallway.

In Northeast North America, longhouses were central to Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) communities. These structures could be very long, sometimes several hundred feet, and were divided into separate apartments for related families along a central passage. Built with a timber frame and bark walls, they housed extended kin groups within a matrilineal clan system and often featured multiple hearths and raised platforms.

In Northern Europe, Viking and other medieval longhouses were timber-framed with wattle and daub or planked walls and thatched or turf roofs. They typically housed families and animals under one roof and centered on a large hearth. These buildings varied in length and demonstrated regional adaptations to climate and available materials.

In parts of Southeast Asia, longhouses are large, stilt-supported dwellings that can contain many family units linked along corridors. They are commonly made from timber, bamboo, and palm, and are designed for ventilation and protection from floods and pests. Such longhouses remain culturally significant in some communities, even as modern housing reduces their traditional use.

Overall, longhouses illustrate how communal living and kinship influence architectural form across different regions.