Modern interpretations often equate pensiles balineae with hypocausted baths, as the term suspensura—used by Vitruvius to describe underfloor heating—resembles the description of Orata's invention.
Vitruvius recommended tabernae and stabula in country forecourts to store produce and animals, again pointing to a functional role rather than a fixed form.“Those ... Vitruvius, De Architectura.
Vitruvius described how ancient builders first used mud and branches, then improved with tiles and stone, while in his own time shoddy methods—wattle walls, timber upper floors, wooden balconies—made insulae especially flammable ... ....