What was the 3 little pigs houses made of

Mythbusting the three little pigs – Building Specifier

We are all familiar with the fairy tale of the three little pigs; a moral-laden fable about three pigs that construct three houses from different materials. The big bad wolf blows down the first two pigs’ houses, made of straw and sticks respectively, but is unable to destroy the third pig’s house, made of bricks. The story has been told and retold for hundreds of years. However, I think that things have changed…

There have been a multitude of innovations in modern construction techniques of late, so I have decided to take a second look at how affective the pigs’ methods actually were; would the straw and stick homes still fall to huffing and puffing today?

Straw house

With shortages of materials, lack of skills, an ever increasing population and subsequent carbon footprint, there is understandably an enormous demand for a housing solution that won’t cost the earth, both financially and environmentally.

Straw bale construction is one such material that could help achieve this goal. Indeed, a house built from straw goes one step further than helping to alleviate a housing crisis – it can even help the very occupants within that house keep the modern enemy of fuel poverty at bay. Straw bale buildings are so efficiently insulated that they require very little heating, even in the dead of winter.

Where timescales are an issue, straw bale building can also prove to be a worthwhile consideration. Last year saw the first ever straw bale houses hit the market in Bristol. The housing development consisted of seven homes that were erected on site in just nine days, thanks to their precision factory-made panels which slot together perfectly. This speedy turnaround adds to their affordability, of course.

Social Landlord Martin Connolly, responsible for the development, commented on the Bristol homes: “We got into straw bale housing to explore how we could make housing more affordable. What was behind it was concern about homelessness and the environment.”

“In the first instance, we wanted to achieve natural non-toxic house building which sequesters carbon. Hugely insulated and air-tight, the homes produce virtually all the energy they need to run. We are installing rain water harvesting to cut down water and sewage bills, and LED lights, solar panels and an air-source heat pump to reduce light and heating costs. Bath University research shows the running costs can be reduced by as much as 90%. And, as volume of sales increase, we can strive to make the house purchase price even more affordable.”

So, was the first little piggy really that foolish to choose straw over other available materials? Let’s consider the facts; just shy of 4m tonnes straw is produced as a by-product each year by British agriculture. It only takes around 7 tonnes of straw to build a three-bedroom house similar to the Bristol developments. This means that theoretically it would be possible to grow enough straw to build more than half a million new homes each year using straw grown exclusively in British fields. Perhaps not so foolish!?

Stick house

Was the second piggy wrong to build his house from wood? I think absolutely not. Perhaps, considering that the structure fell merely at the exhaling of a wolf, it is his construction skills (or lack thereof) that should be questioned rather than his choice of material. Timber frame buildings are inherently strong, durable and sustainable. Readily available and relatively low in cost, structural timber offers a competitive advantage over many other materials.

Studies suggest that by moving more towards offsite construction techniques, the reputation of the construction industry will improve in the eyes of the younger generation, who above all have a keen interest in innovation, technology and environmental issues. This means that a career within the sector would become a more viable and attractive option, which in turn will help to alleviate the chronic skills shortage currently blighting the industry. Even the second piggy could brush up on his abilities by enrolling in an apprenticeship scheme.

The government report, Construction 2025, highlighted that the poor public image of construction was having a detrimental effect on companies’ abilities to recruit and retain the best talent. The cleaner, safer and more professional setting of a modular construction factory could definitely help attract prospective apprentices and graduates into this relatively new and exciting area of our industry.

Timber is the perfect choice for specifiers who want a precision engineered material that is both cost effective AND sustainable. Structural timber is a low-carbon alternative that offers high structural strength, airtight construction and a traceable supply chain. Therefore it is the perfect choice of material for little piggies with a passion for sustainability and style.

Brick house

Although the hero of the fairy tale is the pig that chose brick above all other materials, the truth of the matter is that there are pro’s and con’s to every material and brick is no exception. Brick homes require very little maintenance and never require painting, caulking or staining. However, this does have a trade-off. Changing the appearance of a brick exterior can be somewhat difficult and expensive.

Homes made of brick are highly energy efficient and therefore remain cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Whilst this in itself is good for the environment, there are caveats and sadly the manufacturing process of bricks almost nullifies this benefit. The manufacturing processes used to create building materials such as cement and bricks are currently accountable for roughly 12% of all emissions of carbon dioxide in the world.

Brick manufacturing especially is very energy-intensive due to the kilns that are used requiring firing for up to three days in order for the bricks within to become hard and strong. Brick kilns operate at about 1100°C and are often kept hot even when not in use. This immense heat is generated using fossil fuels, which emit significant CO2 when combusted.

Houses constructed using brick are durable, energy efficient, highly fire-resistant and low maintenance. This means that they tend to have a higher resale value than their timber beam counterparts. Homeowner insurance is also a lot lower for these very reasons. So whilst savings can be made in the long term, the initial outlay will be much higher if using brick in your project.

Bricks are much more expensive as a building material than timber or straw. Also, whilst largely low maintenance for the most part, when repairs do need to be made they can be difficult, time consuming, highly invasive and expensive. This renders brick a non-cost-effective option for many home builders, regardless of savings that will be made at a later date.

Summary

It is clear to see that each method of construction has both benefits and draw backs. This means that no one method is a perfect solution to meet 21st century housebuilding demands. If the housing crisis, combined with materials shortages and the skills gap are the modern day “wolf at the door”, then it is only through a multifaceted approach that utilises all of the tools and knowledge in our arsenal that we can succeed and thrive as an industry. It’s impossible to tell which material will come up trumps in the end – but one thing we can all agree on is that modular technologies, offsite methods and alternative material usage will play increasingly larger roles in construction as we go forward as an industry. Expect to see a lot more on the topic!

So in summary, does a fairy tale that was first committed to print in the 1840’s still offer worthy advice to the wise and considerate specifier who wishes to keep the wolves at bay? I say “no, no, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!”

Lecture 3: Role of Structural Failure

This lesson is correct if the load that is of greatest concern is a tornado, typhoon, hurricane or similar lateral load. However, the brick house would have been the worst structure to live in if it was built in an earthquake zone. In fact, an unreinforced masonry building is much more life threatening in an earthquake when compared to a straw hut. Then again, another response would be appropriate if the house was in a region where winds were not a real problem, but extreme temperature variations were critical. The same would be true if mobility was the most significant issue. Each of these are specific loading conditions that could lead to structural failure. It is critical that the appropriate loads and loading combinations are considered for each and every structure depending on use and location. Every one is different!

"Humpy Dumpty" is another children's tale with a structural lesson. He was a good egg who sat on a wall for quite a while. One day he lost his balance and fell to the ground where all of the king's men could not put Humpty back together again. The egg shell is a wonderfully efficient, naturally occuring thin structure that is extremly strong under evenly distributed loading conditions. One type of load which a thin shell cannot resist is a sharp point load. Thus, when Humpty fell to the ground he loaded his wonderful structure in a way that caused a strength and system failure.

Building Codes are often considered to be the bane of architectural designers. However, they have been a part of the profession for thousands of years. The illustration above is a part of the Code of Hammurabi that was written about 2200BC. The Code can be translated as:

If a builder builds a house for a man and does not make its construction firm and the house collapses and causes the death of the owner of the house - that builder shall be put to death.

If it causes the death of a son of the owner - a son of that builder shall be put to death .

If it causes the death of a slave of the owner - the builder shall give the owner a slave of equal value.

If it destroys property - the builder shall restore whatever it destroyed and because the builder did not make the house firm, shall rebuild the house which collapsed at his own expense.

If a builder builds a house and does not make its construction meet the requirements and a wall falls in - that builder shall strengthen the wall at his own expense.

Each and every one of us is a structural designer in their own way. The act of walking down a set of stairs or pushing a wheelchair forward or swimming across a pool requires an understanding of gravity, the flow of forces and how to work with them.

Petroski notes: "The Concept of Failure is central to understanding engineering, it has as its first and foremost objective the obviation of failure. Design, even structural design, is a human endeavor and thus it is subject to error. Due to this, some designs are destined to fail. This can lead to a loss of life which in itself is tragic, but a deeper unforgivable tragedy exists when the lessons of the failure are understood and allowed to occur again."

Questions for Thought

Failure can also be illustrated with the following exercise. Take ten small paper clips. Twist each one back and forth and count the number of turns that it takes for each paper clip to fail. Note the variance in what seems to be exactly the same material for each one. What role does statistics play in structural design?

Homework Problems

Additional Reading

Detailed content of the play "The Three Little Pigs and the Gray Wolf" • Theater "Modern"

The play-tale about the three little pigs tells about the adventures of two brothers Nuf-Nuf, Nif-Nif and their little pig sister named Naf-Naf.

All summer long the three merry little pigs spent their time carefree: basking in the sun, somersaulting in the green grass and splashing in warm puddles. Autumn came and it got colder. Naf-Naf suggested that everyone build a house together for the winter, but Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf decided not to rush to build a house. The brothers decided that they would live separately, each in their own house, but for now, they preferred to enjoy the last warm autumn days, play and jump in the meadow. Naf-Naf did not wait for her careless brothers and started building her house. She kneaded clay, dragged stones and slowly built herself a solid, reliable house in which she could hide from rain, wind, frost and other troubles. The brothers were surprised at such an impressive building and began to ask Naf-Naf why she needed such a solid stone house. “To protect yourself from the wolf,” said Naf-Naf. Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf laughed at their sister, “there is no wolf here,” said the piglets.

The brothers decided not to spend much time building houses. Nif-Nif built a house of straw in one day, Nuf-Nuf built a house of dry leaves and twigs in two. When the work was done, the piglets continued to play tricks on their sister, they imagined how easily they would deal with the wolf, although they had never seen him.

Loud laughter and songs of cheerful piglets were heard by an angry and hungry Gray Wolf passing by. The piglets were terribly frightened and, squealing throughout the forest, rushed to their houses. Nif-Nif was the first to reach his thatched dwelling. “Come on, open the door, otherwise I’ll blow it and your house will fly apart!” The wolf shouted and blew with all his might on the house of Nif-Nif. The house scattered in all directions, as if after a hurricane.

Frightened Nif-Nif rushed to run and in a minute was already in Nuf-Nuf's house. The cunning wolf decided to pretend to be a sheep by putting on a sheep's skin. He knocked on the door and in a thin voice asked for a lodging for the night. The piglets opened the door ajar, but when they saw the sharp teeth of the wolf, they got scared and managed to close it back. “Come on, open the door, otherwise I’ll blow it and your house will fly apart!” shouted the Gray Wolf, blew with all his might on Nuf-Nuf’s house and it scattered in all directions.

The piglets ran away in horror and managed to get to the Naf-Naf house. The little sister let them into the house and quickly closed the massive oak door with a bolt. She had nothing to fear in her stone house.

No matter how hard the Gray Wolf tried, he could not get inside, neither through the windows nor through the door. He decided that he would guard the house. “Sooner or later, the pigs will come out, then I’ll eat them,” the wolf thought and began to wait.

The night passed, but the gray did not go away. Morning came and Naf-Naf came up with a cunning plan to get rid of the wolf, she dressed up in a fox costume and invited the wolf to dance. Naf-Naf's outfit was so good that the wolf did not notice the change. In the meantime, the piglet brothers sneaked out of the house unnoticed and smeared glue on a pole next to a growing tree. Naf-Naf, in the form of a fox, skillfully performed her role. She twirled the wolf in a dance and, passing by a tree, leaned it against the glued trunk. No matter how hard the wolf tried to unstick from the tree, nothing worked for him. He realized that he was wrong and asked for forgiveness from the three little pigs. The piglets were very kind and therefore, of course, they forgave, released and released the Gray Wolf. Since then, the wolf and the three little pigs have become friends.

From now on, the piglets, two brothers and a sister, began to live together under one roof, in their cozy stone house.

Fairy tale Three little pigs - read online

Once upon a time there were three little pigs in the world. Three brothers.

All the same height, round, pink, with the same funny ponytails. Even their names were similar. The piglets were called: Nif-Nif, Nuf-Nuf and Naf-Naf.

All summer they tumbled in the green grass, basked in the sun, basked in the puddles.

But autumn has come.

The sun was not so hot anymore, gray clouds stretched over the yellowed forest.

“It's time for us to think about winter,” Naf-Naf once said to his brothers, waking up early in the morning. - I'm shivering from the cold. We may catch a cold. Let's build a house and winter together under one warm roof.

But his brothers didn't want to take the job. It is much more pleasant to walk and jump in the meadow on the last warm days than to dig the earth and carry heavy stones.

- Good luck! Winter is still far away. We'll take a walk, - said Nif-Nif and rolled over his head.

— When necessary, I will build a house for myself, — said Nuf-Nuf and lay down in a puddle.

“Me too,” added Nif-Nif.

- Well, as you wish. Then I will build my own house, - said Naf-Naf. “I won't wait for you.

It was getting colder and colder every day. But Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf were in no hurry. They didn't even want to think about work. They were idle from morning to evening. All they did was play their pig games, jump and roll.

“Today we will take a walk,” they said, “and tomorrow morning we will get down to business.

But the next day they said the same thing.
And only when a large puddle by the road began to be covered with a thin crust of ice in the morning, the lazy brothers finally got to work.

Nif-Nif decided that it would be easier and most likely to make a house out of straw. Without consulting anyone, he did just that. By evening, his hut was ready.

Nif-Nif put the last straw on the roof and, very pleased with his house, sang merrily:

Singing this song, he went to Nuf-Nuf.

Nuf-Nuf was also building a house not far away. He tried to finish this boring and uninteresting business as soon as possible. At first, like his brother, he wanted to build a house out of straw. But then I decided that it would be very cold in such a house in winter. The house will be stronger and warmer if it is built from branches and thin rods.

So he did.
He drove stakes into the ground, intertwined them with rods, heaped dry leaves on the roof, and by evening the house was ready.

Nuf-Nuf proudly walked around him several times and sang:

I have a good house,
New home, solid home,
I'm not afraid of rain and thunder,
Rain and thunder, rain and thunder!

Before he could finish the song, Nif-Nif ran out from behind a bush.

— Well, your house is ready! - said Nif-Nif to his brother. "I told you we'd get it over with quickly!" Now we are free and can do whatever we want!

— Let's go to Naf-Naf and see what kind of house he built for himself! - said Nuf-Nuf. "We haven't seen him in a long time!"

— Let's go and see! Nif-Nif agreed.

And both brothers, very pleased that they did not have to worry about anything else, disappeared behind the bushes.

Naf-Naf has been busy building for several days now. He dragged stones, kneaded clay, and now slowly built himself a reliable, durable house in which one could hide from wind, rain and frost.

He made a heavy oak door with a bolt in the house so that the wolf from the neighboring forest could not climb up to him.

Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf found their brother at work.

— What are you building? - the surprised Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf shouted in one voice.

— Is it a pig house or a fortress?

— Piglet's house should be a fortress! Naf-Naf calmly answered them, continuing to work.

— Are you going to fight with someone? Nif-Nif grunted merrily and winked at Nuf-Nuf.

And both brothers were so merry that their squeals and grunts carried far across the lawn.

And Naf-Naf, as if nothing had happened, continued to lay the stone wall of his house, humming a song under his breath

I, of course, am smarter than everyone else,
Smarter than everyone, smarter than everyone!
I build a house from stones,
From stones, from stones!
No animal in the world,
Cunning Beast, Scary Beast,
Will not break through this door,
Through this door, through this door!

— What animal is he talking about? - Nif-Nif asked Nuf-Nif.

— What animal are you talking about? - Nuf-Nuf asked Naf-Naf.

- I'm talking about the wolf! - answered Naf-Naf and laid another stone.

- Look how afraid he is of the wolf! - said Nif-Nif.

- He's afraid of being eaten! - added Nuf-Nuf.

And the brothers cheered even more.

- What kind of wolves can be here? - said Nif-Nif.

- There are no wolves! He's just a coward! - added Nuf-Nuf.

And they both began to dance and sing:

We are not afraid of the gray wolf,
Gray wolf, gray wolf!
Where do you go, stupid wolf,
Old wolf, dire wolf?

They wanted to tease Naf-Naf, but he didn't even turn around.

- Let's go, Nuf-Nif, - said then Nif-Nif. “We have nothing to do here!

And two brave brothers went for a walk. On the way they sang and danced, and when they entered the forest, they made such a noise that they woke up the wolf, who was sleeping under a pine tree.

— What's that noise? - the angry and hungry wolf grumbled with displeasure and galloped to the place where the squealing and grunting of two small, stupid pigs could be heard.

- Well, what kind of wolves can be here! - said at that time Nif-Nif, who saw wolves only in pictures.

- Here we will grab him by the nose, he will know! added Nuf-Nuf, who also had never seen a live wolf.

And the brothers rejoiced again and sang:

We are not afraid of the gray wolf,
Gray wolf, gray wolf!
Where do you go, stupid wolf,
Old wolf, dire wolf?
And suddenly they saw a real live wolf!

He stood behind a large tree, and he had such a terrible look, such evil eyes and such a toothy mouth that a chill ran down Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf's backs and thin tails trembled finely, finely. The poor pigs couldn't even move for fear.

The wolf got ready to jump, snapped his teeth, blinked his right eye, but the piglets suddenly came to their senses and, squealing throughout the forest, rushed to their heels. They have never run so fast before! Sparkling with their heels and raising clouds of dust, the piglets each rushed to their home.

Nif-Nif was the first to reach his thatched hut and barely managed to slam the door in front of the wolf's very nose.

— Unlock the door now! the wolf growled. “Or else I’ll break it!”

— No, — grunted Nif-Nif, — I won't unlock it!

The breath of a terrible beast was heard outside the door.

— Unlock the door now! the wolf growled again. “Otherwise I’ll blow so hard that your whole house will fly apart!”

But Nif-Nif, out of fear, could no longer answer anything.

Then the wolf began to blow: “F-f-f-w-w-w!”.

Straws flew from the roof of the house, the walls of the house shook.

The wolf took another deep breath and blew a second time: “F-f-f-w-w-w!”. When the wolf blew for the third time, the house was blown in all directions, as if it had been hit by a hurricane. The wolf snapped his teeth in front of the little piglet's snout. But Nif-Nif deftly dodged and rushed to run. A minute later he was already at the door of Nuf-Nuf.

As soon as the brothers locked themselves in, they heard the wolf's voice:

— Well, now I'll eat you both!

Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf looked at each other in fear. But the wolf was very tired and therefore decided to go for a trick.

- I changed my mind! he said so loudly that he could be heard in the house. “I won’t eat those skinny piglets!” I better go home!

Did you hear? - Nif-Nif asked Nuf-Nif. He said he won't eat us! We are skinny!

- This is very good! - Nuf-Nuf said and immediately stopped trembling.

The brothers became cheerful and sang as if nothing had happened:

We are not afraid of the gray wolf,
Gray wolf, gray wolf!
Where do you go, stupid wolf,
Old wolf, dire wolf?

And the wolf didn't even think of going anywhere. He just stepped aside and hunkered down. He was very funny. He had a hard time keeping himself from laughing. How cleverly he deceived two stupid little pigs!
When the pigs were completely calm, the wolf took the sheep's skin and cautiously crept up to the house. At the door, he covered himself with skin and knocked softly.

Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf were very frightened when they heard the knock.

Who is there? they asked, their tails shaking again.

- It's me-me-me - poor little sheep! the wolf squeaked in a thin, alien voice. - Let me spend the night, I strayed from the herd and very tired!

— Let me in? the good Nif-Nif asked his brother.

- You can let the sheep go! Nuf-Nuf agreed. - A sheep is not a wolf!

But when the pigs opened the door, they saw not a sheep, but the same toothy wolf. The brothers slammed the door and leaned on it with all their might so that the terrible beast could not break into them.

The wolf is very angry. He failed to outsmart the pigs! He threw off his sheepskin and growled:

— Well, wait a minute! There will be nothing left of this house!
And he began to blow. The house leaned a little. The wolf blew a second, then a third, then a fourth time.

Leaves were falling from the roof, the walls were trembling, but the house was still standing.

And only when the wolf blew for the fifth time did the house stagger and fall apart. Only one door still stood for some time in the middle of the ruins.

The pigs ran away in terror. Their legs were paralyzed with fear, every bristle trembled, their noses were dry. The brothers rushed to the house of Naf-Naf.

The wolf overtook them with huge leaps.

Once he almost grabbed Nif-Nif by the hind leg, but he pulled it back in time and added speed.

The wolf also pressed on. He was sure that this time the piglets would not run away from him.
But again, he was out of luck.

The piglets quickly rushed past a large apple tree without even hitting it. But the wolf did not have time to turn and ran into an apple tree, which showered him with apples.

One hard apple hit him between the eyes. A large lump jumped up on the wolf's forehead.

And Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf, neither alive nor dead, ran up to the house of Naf-Naf at that time.

Brother quickly let them into the house. The poor piglets were so frightened that they could not say anything. They silently rushed under the bed and hid there. Naf-Naf immediately guessed that a wolf was chasing them. But he had nothing to fear in his stone house. He quickly bolted the door, sat down on a stool himself, and sang loudly:0003

No animal in the world,
Cunning Beast, Scary Beast,
Will not open this door,
This door, this door!
But just then there was a knock on the door.

Who is knocking? Naf-Naf asked in a calm voice.

- Open without talking! came the rough voice of the wolf.

- No matter how! And I don't think so! - Naf-Naf answered in a firm voice.

- Oh, yes! Well, hold on! Now I'll eat all three!

- Try it! - answered Naf-Naf from behind the door, not even getting up from his stool. He knew that he and his brothers had nothing to fear in a solid stone house.

Then the wolf sucked in more air and blew as hard as he could! But no matter how much he blew, not even the smallest stone moved.

The wolf turned blue from the effort.

The house stood like a fortress. Then the wolf began to shake the door. But the door didn't budge either.

The wolf, out of anger, began to scratch the walls of the house with his claws and gnaw at the stones from which they were built, but he only broke off his claws and ruined his teeth. The hungry and angry wolf had no choice but to get out.

But then he raised his head and suddenly noticed a large, wide chimney on the roof.

- Yeah! Through this pipe I will make my way into the house! the wolf rejoiced.

He carefully climbed onto the roof and listened. The house was quiet.

“I'm still going to have a bite of fresh piglet today,” thought the wolf, and after licking his lips, climbed into the pipe.

But as soon as he began to descend the pipe, the piglets heard a rustle.

And when soot began to fall on the lid of the boiler, smart Naf-Naf immediately guessed what was the matter.

He quickly rushed to the cauldron in which water was boiling on fire and tore off the lid.

- Welcome! - said Naf-Naf and winked at his brothers.

Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf have already completely calmed down and, smiling happily, looked at their smart and brave brother.

The piglets did not have to wait long. Black as a chimney sweep, the wolf flopped right into the boiling water.

Never before had he been in so much pain!

His eyes popped out on his forehead, all his hair stood on end.

With a wild roar, the scalded wolf flew into the chimney back to the roof, rolled down it to the ground, rolled four times over his head, rode his tail past the locked door and rushed into the forest.

And the three brothers, the three little pigs, looked after him and rejoiced that they had taught the evil robber so cleverly.

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