Roofing in Mongolia

Mongolia's most characteristic roof is not fixed to a building at all: it is the domed, felt-covered roof of the ger, the portable round dwelling of Mongolian herders, known in Russian and English as the yurt. Gers remain the most common dwelling in the countryside and around Ulaanbaatar, while the capital's apartment blocks and public buildings use the flat roofs of masonry, concrete-frame and precast-panel construction.

Climate and hazards

Mongolia has a harsh continental climate with long, very cold winters, strong winds and a short summer, so a roof must above all keep out wind and conserve heat from the stove. Parts of the country are seismically active. The ger, a light structure held together in compression, has very low seismic vulnerability, whereas some precast-panel and modified masonry buildings in Ulaanbaatar are considered vulnerable to earthquakes.

Roofing history

Yurt-type dwellings have been used across the Central Asian steppe for at least 2,500 years; the earliest written description is usually traced to Herodotus' account of the tents of the Scythians. During the Mongol Empire of the 13th century the dwelling spread into parts of Europe and the Middle East. Over time the crown of the ger developed from the earlier sarkhinag toono to the Buddhist-style khorlo toono, shaped like a dharma wheel, and monasteries used decorated uyangiin ger.

In the 20th century, under socialist planning, Ulaanbaatar and other towns gained brick masonry, cast-in-place concrete and precast-panel apartment buildings. Since about 1990, migration from the countryside has expanded the city's ger districts, fenced plots holding gers and owner-built houses, some of which, such as the area around Gandan Monastery, have existed for more than a century.

Traditional and vernacular roofs

The ger roof is formed by straight roof poles (uni) that rise from the top of the lattice wall (khana) to a wooden crown ring (toono), which acts as a compression ring and is supported by one or more columns. The frame is covered with layers of felt, then canvas and in summer sun covers, with a thin undercover on the roof slopes and an outer cover on top. Ropes hold the frame together, and the weight of the covers, sometimes with a weight hung from the centre, keeps it in compression. The open crown admits light and lets out stove smoke.

Roofing today

In 2009 about 62 per cent of Ulaanbaatar's population lived in ger districts, although only about 43 per cent of ger-district residents lived in gers rather than houses. In rural areas around 65 per cent of households live in gers. Engineered buildings in the capital are mostly brick masonry, cast-in-place reinforced concrete frames and precast panels, along with steel and timber structures. Coal burned in simple stoves in ger districts is a major cause of winter air pollution.

Codes, standards and regulation

Building regulation is the responsibility of the national government.

Notable roofs

• Uyangiin ger - gers decorated in the style of Buddhist monasteries.

Local roofing terms

• ger (гэр) - dwelling, home
• toono (тооно) - crown ring
• uni (унь) - roof poles
• khana (хана) - lattice wall

Sources and gaps

Statistics on roofing materials of fixed houses and information on fixed-house roofing, building codes and industry in Mongolia: published information is limited.