Felt

What is the primary material used in construction in your world? How has it shaped architecture and design?   The steppe clans of the Mongol nation built their homes from felt that came from the wool of the hundreds of thousands of sheep that grazed the grasslands. The sheep were also used for milk, meat and other necessities. The tent-like homes, called gers, were cylindrically shaped and tapered to a point at the top. A hole in the roof's center allowed smoke from the dung cooking fires to pass through. The door was fashioned from a double flap of extra thick felt. The felt was ideal to keep out rain, wind and snow. The white color of the felt helped to illuminate the interior.   Women did the hard work of felting the wool in spring after shearing and the gers they made with the felt belonged to them. The wool was drenched in water, then beat with long sticks until the fibers bound together into felt. After that came stretching and drying.   The framework over which the felt was draped was made of wooden lattice. Inside, the lattice served as a means to hang decorative and household objects. Room was made for an altar. The hole at center top served as the primary light source, as well, and space was designated and strictly observed, for women, for men, and for visitors. In the morning, the eastern sun lit up the men's side of the del, as they gathered their tools and made their way outside. In the afternoon, the sun circled around and lit up the women's side as they prepared the evening meal.   The steppe clans were a semi-nomadic people. After each grazing season, the camp would be broken down and moved to new pasture. The architecture of the gers made this fairly easy. The women simply rolled up the felt and folded up the frame. This way, the entire household structure and items could be easily transported on one cart, to be set up again upon reaching the new pasture.