Habitability Studies of a Replica Fremont-style Pithouse

Abstract

A full-sized Fremont-style pithouse was reconstructed to explore habitability. The results are: (1) the pithouse dampens daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations; (2) a wood and leather access closure was thermally more effective than a stone slab; (3) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling shows the superstructure affects interior ventilation; (4) a floor-level vent is necessary for adequate ventilation and CFD modeling indicates its position relative to prevailing wind is important; (5) once reached, the thermal comfort level of 16.5°C can be maintained by body heat alone. Ancillary information acquired during construction and subsequent destruction of the pithouse: (6) the estimated time required by a Fremont community to construct a pithouse is roughly 538 person-hours; (7) expediting the burning of the structure required an animal fat accelerant and ventilation holes cut into the superstructure; and (8) nearly a half-hour of burning occurred before there was an abrupt catastrophic roof collapse.