Roofing in Kiribati

Kiribati is a nation of low coral atolls where the dominant traditional building is the maneaba (also mwaneaba), a huge thatched meeting house at the centre of every community. Unusually for the Pacific today, thatch of pandanus leaves still covered more than half of household roofs in a 2018 national survey, though metal is spreading, especially on South Tarawa.

Climate and hazards

The atolls are hot and humid, and as on other Pacific atolls, roofs are important catchments for rainwater. Traditional building drew on the coconut palm, pandanus and coral.

Roofing history

The traditional maneaba rests on coral slabs and has a vast roof of coconut wood, tied with coconut-fibre string and thatched with pandanus leaves. According to a study by Kerry Whincup, it contains no nails, screws or glue: wooden pins, fitted joints and coconut-husk string (te kora) hold it together, with specified lashings for each joint. Husks are soaked under lagoon sand for about three months before the fibre is dried and rolled by hand; men build and repair, while women make the string. The ridge pole (te taubuki) is hauled into place at about 12-13 m (39-43 ft).

Imported materials changed this tradition. On South Tarawa nearly all meeting houses now use imported materials. Whincup reports that iron roofs heat up quickly and drown out speech in rain, but they need less upkeep and are often seen as a status symbol, at the cost of fewer opportunities to pass on building skills.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

• Maneaba: community meeting house and the basis of village and island governance; the national parliament is named the Maneaba ni Maungatabu. Three traditional styles, Tabontebike, Tabiang and Maungatabu, differ in proportions and beam layout.
• Pandanus thatch (te rau) lashed to slats on diagonal roof beams.

Roofing today

In the 2018-19 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 55.5% of household records listed thatch or palm leaf as the main roof material and 36.3% metal, tin or aluminium; about 6% had no recorded answer. These are unweighted case counts from the survey sample.

Codes, standards and regulation

Building is regulated under the Kiribati Building Act 2006. A national building code dates from 1990; a final draft update was completed in 2012 and was reported to be under review in a regional review of Pacific building codes.

Notable roofs

• Atanikarawa maneaba, Tabiteuea North, about 40 by 20 m (130 by 65 ft).
• Catholic maneaba at Koinawa, Abaiang, about 60 by 17 m (200 by 55 ft).
• Eita maneaba, an exception on South Tarawa built of traditional materials.

Local roofing terms

• Maneaba / mwaneaba: meeting house.
• Te rau: pandanus thatch. Te kora: coconut-husk string.
• Te taubuki: ridge pole. Oka: diagonal roof beams.
• Boti: hereditary seating places along the posts.

Sources and gaps

No domestic roofing manufacturers were identified.

Census tables of roof material (2010, 2015, 2020): published information is limited.