Incorporating climatic design lessons from vernacular architecture in contemporary designs

Abstract

This dissertation essentiaiiy expiores a number of case studies starting from the vernacuiar architecture in a number of locations around the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The scope of this study is to identify the elements that were used in traditional architecture that responded to the climate and determine ways of implementing their use in contemporary design. Vernacular architecture has developed over long periods of time and was a process of perfecting the functionality of these elements from one generation to the next. In the "Post-Industrial" age a lot of the techniques used in this form of traditional architecture had been considered obsolete and therefore it started to become disregarded by many architects in the late eighteenth to the twentieth century. There were few architects such as Hasan Fathy who recognised the importance of this form of architecture and developed their own understanding to re-introduce these methods in a scenario where architectural styles were evolving fast. It was only till after the non-renewable energy crisis that took place in the 1970's, that the need for finding new ways on how to build sustainably became a reality. Different forms of vernacular architecture have attracted research attention in recent years, and this dissertation aims to follow a number of case studies where architects have developed new structures and implemented elements that respond to climatic conditions and found the balance between contemporary and traditional technology.