Historically, reeds have been used to build homes, boats, baskets, mats and other items in different parts of the world. Recent research in Europe and Egypt is confirming the value of reed as an environmentally-friendly building material. They can be used for insulation in new and retrofit applications, replacing flammable energy-intensive materials.
History of Reed Houses
The reed structures of the Arab al-Ahwār (Ma’dan) in the Middle East demonstrate what can be done. Their buildings are constructed using only reed bundles in arches to frame the building.
Guest houses (mudhif) were typically 6 meters (18 feet) long and 3 meters (9 feet) tall. They could be constructed in a couple of days and served as community hubs for meetings, weddings, and funerals. They could also be taken apart and moved, Standard family homes (bayt) were constructed much the same way but smaller. Reed structures (sitra) were used to shelter livestock.
In North America the Bulrush (Schoenoplectus californicus, formerly Scirpus californicus) was an essential building material. This species can be found along the Pacific Coast and inland waters from British Columbia to Patagonia. Bulrush forms dense thickets at water’s edge and in shallow water. The triangular-shaped round stem can be very tall (4 m, 12 feet+). The stems are full of a foam like matrix that holds air to enable the reed to float and grow in water. The stems are resistant to decay.
California bulrush was widely used, but other species of bulrush were used as well. The common name for S. californicus in California, Mexico, and parts of Central America was tule. Also known as totora in Peru, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. Native tribes and tribelets had their own names for tules. In other countries around the world similar reeds and rushes were used.
Tule houses were a common site in California before the European invasion. They could be easily built and were well insulated (0.06 WmK). With thick thatch or multilayer mats people would be warm in winter and cool in summer. The tule homes in California were often constructed by setting vertical willow poles in the ground, and then bending them over to join at the peak. This created arches.
Different methods were used to add the tules. Multiple layers of tule mats might be placed on top of the frame, while others essentially wove the house by tying or folding individual tules on cross members.
The domed, cone or half-cylindrical structures in California came in many sizes. Some were even portable. The largest typically belonged to a chief and/or were used for community gatherings. In some areas large houses sheltered several families. The Yokuts, inhabiting the “Valle de los Tulares” (Valley of the Tules), were the masters of tule use, building large dwellings, tule canoes, mats, baskets, clothing, hunting decoys and other items. Reed houses of the Ainu in Hokkaido (Japan) were also very well insulated. They were waterproof, shed snow and, with wall and roof thickness as much as 0.3 meters, warm in winter.
Reed dwellings required many stems. A reed based village would require thousands of stems every year. The harvest cleared the river banks by the villages, making it easier to get drinking water and to launch tule boats. This also reduced fire risk. Collecting and drying the tules would likely have been a group task that provided time to talk and gossip.
Tules also provided a reliable source of food. The nutritious roots (rhizomes), young shoots, and seeds of many reeds are edible. The rhizomes of California Bulrush and others are rich in starch and sugar, and can be eaten raw or cooked, while the young shoots and tender base of the stem can be eaten raw or cooked. The rhizomes can be dried and pounded into a flour.
Wade in if you want rhizomes to eat or stems to build. Stems can also be collected from a boat. It is desirable to maintain quality by stacking stems and bundles of stems carefully. Tie the ends and the middle of a tule bundle and carry them butt end forward. Once cut the tules are dried. Stems shrink as they dry.
Tule Boats
A simple tule boat could be made very quickly. Tule boats were used all over. Bulrushes and Hardstem Bulrushes (Schoenoplectus acutus) were used for boats on rivers, lakes and the ocean. Native artisans quickly made tule boats (he called them flag canoes) to help Jedediah Smith’s trapping party (1827) cross sloughs and rivers in California. More carefully constructed tule boats were used by tribes offshore. Lovely tule boats are still used today in Peru to fish off shore and entertain tourists.
Tule Floating Homesteads
Taking it all a step further, consider the floating islands of reeds that support tule homes and gardens on Lake Titicaca in South America. Similar artificial islands are made from layered reeds, rushes, and mud in the Middle East.
For more information and photographs
- Wilfred Thesiger. 1964. The Marsh Arabs.
- Juan Fernando Hidalgo-Cordero, Justo García-Navarro. 2018. Totora (Schoenoplectus californicus (C.A. Mey.) Soják) and its potential as a construction material. Industrial Crops and Products. Volume 112. Pages 467-480.
- Naglaa M. Kortam, Morad Abdelkader, E. A. Darwish. 2025. The potential use of reed as cost-efficient thermal insulation wall claddings for residential energy retrofitting in Egypt. Ain Shams Engineering Journal. 16. 103803.
