Mongolian GerFor the most part, the Mongolia region is an elevated, flat landmass with extreme temperature changes, strong winds, and low humidity levels; conditions of a continental climate. This climate involves large seasonal differences with the winter being long and cold while the summer is short and hot. Mongolia's rugged, open terrain is unsheltered from major winds and storms, and as latitude increases, precipitation is limited to smaller amounts where the trees give way to grasslands and treeless plains. Local pastoralists rely on livestock as a resource and do not exploit the land for agricultural purposes. A traditional dwelling suited to the country's climate and local lifestyle is the ger, also known as a yurt. Since the locals regularly moved from place to place with herds of animals, the ger had to be transported by their livestock. However, not long ago, these nomadic houses began to be designed to collapse and fold so they could be carried on the backs of animals and to open up, returning to their original shape, when the herders arrive at their destination (Ministry of Tourism of Mongolia , 2002). The Mongolian ger has two main constituent parts; a wooden skeletal structure, consisting of wooden lattice walls, straight uprights, a roof wheel, support uprights and a felt roof. Before migrating across vast expanses of steppe, herders build their homes using local materials in places that receive the most rainfall. One such place is the Darhad Valley, for example, which provides abundant quantities of timber, where gers are still the most important living quarters today. The size of the structure depends on the number of walls that make up the ger, with each wall having...... at the center of paper ......rom http://www.nickladd.com/downloads/Essays_on_the_vernacular.pdfLittle , B., & Morton, T. (2001). Building with earth in Scotland: innovative design and sustainability. Retrieved from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/156686/0042109.pdfMinistry of Tourism of Mongolia. (2002). Information about Mongolia. Retrieved from http://www.asia-planet.net/mongolia/culture.htmNess Historical Society. (n.d.). The 'Black House'. Retrieved from http://www.cen.org/blackhouse.htmOliver, P. (ed.). (1997). Encyclopedia of the world's vernacular architecture (vols. 1 - 3). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Drachman Institute. (2008). Form and culture of the house. Retrieved from http://www.drachmaninstitute.org/sites/default/files/House_Form&Culture.pdfWright, K. (2005). Traditional Mongolian ger. Retrieved from http://www.bioregions.org/pdfs/GerOwnersPamphlet.pdf