Sustainability of the housing of the amazon rubber tapper

Abstract

This article, focusing on construction technology, investigates and identifies the sustainability of the Amazon rubber tapper's home, built within the rubber tree forest of the Brazilian State of Acre from the late 19th century to the second half of the 20th century. This study also surveys bibliographical information, historical, determinant and constructive facts that attributed meanings to this model of construction, identifying it as sustainable housing. The latex collector was a crude individual, usually a migrant from the country's Northeast, driven by the droughts in the Northeastern backwoods, in search of wealth. When these people reached the Amazon regions to tap rubber trees and produce rubber, they entered the dense and lush forests, rich in rubber trees, Brazil nut trees, bamboo, palm trees and all types of hardwood. It was an unknown world. As a result of a war for latex hegemony, Acre emerged as important to Brazil and the whole world. Lacking a good financial situation and due to the basic needs and memories of their homeland, the rubber tappers built their houses similar to the Amazon native's housing, using raw materials from the forest - such as wood, paxiúba, palm straws, cipó and bamboo - without destroying the environment. They learned how to protect their homes from the storms by interacting with nature through open, integrated and windy spaces. These findings are based on the history of Acre's settlement, and the descriptions of the tappers' homes are evidence of dwellings that are fully self-sustainable.