pantelis charalambides
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IVACHDTRANSCRIPT
Influences of Vernacular
Architecture on Cypriot
Sustainable Housing
Design
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 1
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
2 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Abstract: The collected wisdom of a place‟s native inhabitants has made them capable of finding viable solutions on working with the environments in which they build. This came from a process of trial and error over a period of many centuries and has formed the vernacular traditions specific for each place across the world. However, over the last few centuries phenomena such as the technological advancement and the globalization have created a trend towards an international style of buildings mainly influenced from the Western world which has resulted in vernacular building traditions to become obsolete. This has created a series of problems ranging from the harm to the environment to the identity crisis in the architecture of cultures around the world. This problem raised the awareness of the professionals in the field of architecture who sought to find ways to create buildings which are more responsive to the environment, often referred to as „sustainable‟. However, most of the principles of sustainable design where already applied in traditional dwellings many centuries ago proving that it is possible to provide comfortable environments using traditional solutions. Based on the opinions of leading researchers in the field of vernacular architecture, this dissertation analyses the Cypriot vernacular dwellings in order to define a set of principles for practicing sustainable housing designs in Cyprus. The analysis is separated into four sections: the historical, the environmental, the social and the technical. The validity of these principles/guidelines is then cross referenced against a contemporary sustainable design and draws some findings which will hopefully provide the basis of contemporary housing design in the Cypriot context.
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Influences of Vernacular
Architecture on Cypriot
Sustainable Housing
Design
Pantelis Charalambides wsa5
0808451
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of March, 2013
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Generally on Vernacular:
2.1 Defining the Vernacular
2.2 Characteristics of Vernacular
2.3 Approaches of Studying Vernacular Architecture
Chapter 3: Hypothesis and Method:
3.1 The importance of studying Vernacular Architecture
3.2 Aims/Objectives and Method of study
Chapter 4: Cypriot Vernacular analysis
4.1 Historical Aspects
4.2 Environmental Aspects
4.3 Social Aspects
4.4 Technical Aspects
4.5 Formulation of principles
Chapter 5: Contemporary Sustainable House testing
5.1 Cypriot Vernacular
5.2 Historical Aspects
5.3 Environmental Aspects
5.4 Social Aspects
5.5 Technical Aspects
Chapter 6: Conclusions-Findings
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
List of Illustrations:
Figure 01: Grouping of vernacular architecture approaches
Figure 02: Existing and Appropriate evolution of architecture throughout history
Figure 03: Paros
Figure 04: Alleys in Paros
Figure 05: Semi-Circular Arch
Figure 06: Equilateral pointed arch
Figure 07: Example of Monochoro Typology Figure 08: Monochoro Typology
Figure 09: Monochoro
Figure 10: Monochoro Makrynari
Figure 11: Dichoro Typology
Figure 12: Dichoro Makrynari
Figure 13: Dichoro Typology and its variations
Figure 14: Dichoro Makrynari Figure 15: Vertical Repetitions of Monochoro and Monochoro Makrynari Figure 16: Solarium with arches
Figure 18: Examples of horizontal epektaseis
Figure 17: Solarium with timber shelter
Figure 19: Examples of vertical epektaseis
Figure 20: Houses with Iliakos
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 21: View to the Ssospiton
Figure 22: Mezzanine addition
Figure 23: Kritou Terra
Figure 24: Kritou Terra headwaters
Figure 25: Kritou Tera settlement growth follows the river
Figure 26 Monochoro with the entrance on the shorter side
Figure 27: Environmental performance of monochoro and dichoro houses
Figure 28: Environmental performance of house with iliakos
Figure 29: Settlement allocation on map. Pano Arodes (orange) and Kathikas
(blue
Figure 30: Ringed Development of Pano Arodes settlement
Figure 31: Finger Development of Kathikas settlement
Figure 32: Natural-Feature-Dependant Development of Kritou Tera settlement
Figure 34: Dwelling Complexes in Kathikas
Figure 35: Dwelling Complexes in Pano Arodes
Figure 33: Blank facades from the public footpath in the settlement of Kathikas
Figure 35: Dwelling Complexes in Pano Arodes
Figure 36: Dwelling facades from the public path in Pano Arodes
Figure 37: Monochoro in Kritou Tera with entrance in the public path
Figure 38: Relationship of houses to the two streets
Figure 39: House built from sieropetres
Figure 40: Fences built from athasopetres
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 41: Walls made out of mixture of rubble
Figure 42: Window detailing as seen from the exterior
Figure 43: Window and door detailing as seen from the interior
Figure 44: Wall with skalosiotripes
Figure 45: Doma
Figure 46: Amfiklini roof Detail
Figure 47: Sketch of Y-shaped beams as seen from the interior
Figure 48: Derived Principles
Figure 49: Ramón Esteve behind the model of the house
Figure 50: concept sketch of the cubic shaped building
Figure 51: North facade
Figure 52: South facade
Figure 53: Spatial organization
Figure 54: The fireplace
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Chapter 1: Introduction
Traditional architecture has developed over many
centuries through a process of trial and error. The
collected wisdom of each place‟s native inhabitants
has made them capable of finding viable solutions
on working with the climate extremes.1 However,
over the last few centuries phenomena such as the
technological advancement and the globalization
have created a trend towards an international style
of buildings mainly influenced from the Western
world which has resulted in vernacular building
traditions to become obsolete.2 People rightfully
seek for high levels of comfort within the
environment of their house. This can be achieved
by incorporating high-tech ventilation systems as
well as many other products of technology in
buildings. However, these systems are expensive
in initial cost and very energy consuming. In order
for this energy to be consumed many of the earth‟s
natural resources have been for centuries
irrationally exploited and caused harm to the
environment in many ways. This problem has
brought the world to a point where these issues
need to be addressed responsibly in order for the
world as we know it to stay in existence. As a
result, a tendency towards more climate
1 Despina K. Serghides, „The Wisdom of Mediterranean
Traditional Architecture Versus Contemporary Architecture – The Energy Challenge‟, The Open Construction and Building Technology Journal, 4 (2010), 29-38 (p.29) 2 Paul Oliver, „Afterword: Raising the Roof‟, in Vernacular
Architecture in the Twenty-First Century Theory, Education and Practice, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 262-268 (p. 268)
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
responsive buildings has started to become the
new trend in the field of architecture.3
With the term „sustainability‟ rapidly becoming
more and more popular in the architectural
community and it is now the most ethical way to
practice architecture in the twenty-first century.4
However, most of the principles of sustainable
design where already applied in traditional
dwellings many centuries ago proving that it is
possible to provide comfortable environments
within a house using traditional solutions.5 This is
not to say that designers should blindly mimic the
vernacular traditions of the place in which they
practice. Instead, computer technology, modern
construction methods and innovative materials can
be used in collaboration with vernacular traditions
in order to search for ways of providing climate
responsive houses. Ignoring a place‟s architectural
heritage and disregarding the wisdom of the past is
at best ill-informed if not arrogant.
Therefore, this research‟s purpose is to study the
characteristics of Cypriot vernacular architecture
based on the opinions of leading names in the field
3 Yannas Simos and Willi Weber, Lessons from Traditional
Architecture: Achieving Climatic Buildings by Studying the Past. 1 vols. (London: Earthscan, 2011) 4 Suha Ozkan, „Traditionalism in Vernacular Architecture ‟, in
Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century Theory, Education and Practice, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 262-268 (p. 268) 5 Despina K. Serghides, „The Wisdom of Mediterranean
Traditional Architecture Versus Contemporary Architecture – The Energy Challenge‟, The Open Construction and Building Technology Journal, 4 (2010), 29-38 (p.29)
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
such as Paul Oliver, Marcel Vellinga, and Amos
Rapoport and through their opinions provide
information to define a set of principles for
designing appropriate modern sustainable houses
in Cyprus. After that, a contemporary sustainable
house in Cyprus will be used as a case study and
through the derived principles, test and question its
validity as a sustainable response to the Cypriot
context and state where it has succeeded, how
could it improve and where could it be revised.
The findings will hopefully give a clear idea of what
is an appropriate house design for the Cypriot
context and will provide the starting point of a
much broader research for myself and other
designers to define the principles for appropriate
housing designs in Cyprus.
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Chapter 2: Generally on Vernacular
2.1 Defining the vernacular:
Since the beginning of time, humans have been in
the need of a shelter in order to be protected from
the natural elements. This primitive need has
intuitively urged people to start building their own
dwellings which according to the context in which
they were living, had a series of characteristics that
made them differ from the dwellings of people who
lived in other areas. This set of building traditions
has been described over time in a variety of ways
by people who sought the study of this field of
architecture and the main terms being used to do
so were: indigenous, folk, anonymous, primitive,
and popular architecture6. However, the term
which most comprehensively describes these
dwellings and their traditions is ‘vernacular’.
Derived from the Latin vernaculus (native), these
pieces of architecture are categorized based on
the fact that they follow certain building traditions
(religious, tribal or localized).7 These building
traditions
6 Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice
Hall, 1969), p.1 7 Paul Oliver, „Introduction‟, in Encyclopedia of Vernacular
Architecture of the World, Volume 1: Theories and principles, ed. by Paul Oliver (Cambridge University Press, 1997) p.xxi
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
place vernacular dwellings within their
environmental, national as well as their cultural
context. In addition, their building form is strongly
defined by the local material resources and
technologies available at the time, the structural
systems employed, as well as the environmental
conditions of the context. On the cultural aspects
the beliefs, the behavioural patterns and the
community’s social structure have a bearing on the
building type, functions and meanings of these
dwellings.8 Others also believe that the analysis
and study of the economic activity of a culture also
have an important role to play in defining
vernacular architecture.9
8 Paul Oliver, „Introduction‟, in Encyclopedia of Vernacular
Architecture of the World, Volume 1: Theories and principles, ed. by Paul Oliver (Cambridge University Press, 1997) p.xxi 9 Suha Ozkan, „Traditionalism and Vernacular Architecture in
the Twenty-First Century‟, in Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 97-109 (p. 100)
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
2.2 Vernacular Characteristics:
The main characteristics of vernacular dwellings
are that they follow a strategic choice of site, and
they respond to the area’s micro-climatic
conditions. The dwellings are constructed using
locally sourced materials and they are built by their
owners/occupiers or occasionally with the aids of
specialists who are still however, members of the
same community using intuitive knowledge which
is handed down from generation to generation.
Moreover, vernacular architecture’s building
traditions respond to the culture’s social and
economic environments and they evolve along with
the culture’s intuitive wisdom.10
Even though the diversity of these building
traditions across the world would make any
attempt to define vernacular in a few words seem
unrealistic, perhaps the most accurate and concise
definition of vernacular architecture is written by
Paul Oliver in his book: Encyclopedia of
Vernacular Architecture of the World (1997):
Vernacular architecture comprises the dwellings
and other buildings of the people. Related to their
environmental contexts and available resources,
they are customarily owner- or community built,
utilizing traditional technologies. All forms of
vernacular are built to meet specific needs,
accommodating the values, economies and ways
of living of the cultures that produce them.
10
Paul Oliver, „Introduction‟, in Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World, Volume 1: Theories and principles, ed. by Paul Oliver (Cambridge University Press, 1997) p.xxi
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2.3 Approaches of Studying Vernacular
Architecture:
The study of vernacular architecture is a broad
subject and is increasingly attracting the interest of
many specialists from a variety of fields. As
mentioned above, vernacular architecture is
heavily influenced on culture’s traditions, customs
and beliefs, so naturally the study of it can reveal a
great variety of information useful for people from
many areas of study in a great variety of ways.
Each of those fields takes its own positions in
vernacular architecture study in order to obtain the
information relevant to them. Therefore, in the
study of vernacular architecture a series of
different approaches and concepts have been
developed, with the main ones being: Aesthetic,
Anthropological, Archaeological, Architectural,
Behavioural Patterns, Cognitive, Etic/Emic
concept, Conservationist, Developmental,
Diffusionist, Ecological, Ethnological, Evolutionary,
Folkloristic, Geographical, Historical, Museological,
Phenomenological concept, Recording and
Documentation, Spatial concept, Structuralist
theory and the Generative-Transformational
method.11 (Appx. 01) This list of approaches
doesn‟t mean that each study has to follow each
and every one of these but rather gives the full
picture of the variety of research fields in
vernacular architecture. However, due to many
overlaps in their principles the approaches can be
grouped into four sections. (Fig. 01) As mentioned
above, these four sections provide the headings
11
Paul Oliver, „Introduction‟, in Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World, Volume 1: Theories and principles, ed. by Paul Oliver (Cambridge University Press, 1997) p.xxi
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
which will form the main body of this text, in
analysing the Cypriot vernacular.
A common issue observed in most of the
approaches is the fact that in the study of
vernacular building traditions focused mainly on
the monument-buildings such as the temples,
palaces and tombs in order to conduct their
researches. In the field of archaeology for
example, the study of vernacular architecture until
recently, focused on the monument-buildings.
However, in the last years the focus has shifted on
the study of the city as a whole in order to gain a
better understanding of the aspects interested in. It
has been proven that the study of the vernacular
dwellings and their relationships with monument-
buildings was equally (if not more important) than
the study of only the monument-buildings. 12
Similarly, the architectural community traditionally
has been giving great importance on the study of
monument-buildings and the appraisal of the
designer/architect for their talent, good taste and
ingenuity. Even though this might be right to an
extent, the study of monument-buildings only
accounts for a very small portion of the whole
building activity at any given time, even until today.
13 Considering that the majority of the built
environment has been built without the aids of a
designer/architect by people using intuitive
knowledge, one can safely say that the study of
the bulk of the built environment has largely been
ignored by the architectural community. This
tendency to categorize the monument-buildings as
the “important” and the only ones worth to study,
12
Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1969), p.1 13
Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1969), p.2
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
neglecting vernacular dwellings and the
environment which they compose, gives an undue
importance to the former.14 Rather, it is the bulk of
the built environment-which mostly comprises of
the dwellings- that can give someone the most
valuable lessons on a culture‟s traditions, customs
and beliefs and in the field of architecture
especially, there are many lessons to be learnt
from the study of the vernacular dwellings.
14
Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1969), p.2
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 01: Sections of Vernacular Architecture Approach15
15
Author
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Chapter 3: Hypothesis and Method
3.1 The importance of studying Vernacular
Architecture.
As with many cultures around the world,
contemporary Cypriot dwellings have lost their
identity and they are now mere followers of global
trends mainly influenced from Western cultures.16
All the above were results of globalization which
was a consequence of the technological
advancement. The rapid technological
advancement that the industrial revolution brought
along had a massive impact on this as well as the
way people lived until then. It has certainly
expanded many possibilities in a great variety of
aspects of life, the extent of which is something
that will not be discussed here as it is a whole new
topic of research itself. However, there is a belief
by many that ‘technology’ and ‘vernacular’ are two
contradictory terms and cannot coexist in an
architectural proposition. This statement might be
right to an extent but this is only because people
have been using technology in the wrong way
when it comes to dwelling design and
construction.17 Technology with respects to
architecture, has enabled a more active control of
the environmental conditions of buildings through
the aids of mechanical systems to regulate the
internal comfort levels, it has given many
opportunities on the choice of materials other than
17
Isaac A. Meir and Susan C. Roaf, „Traditionalism and Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century‟, in Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 199-230 (p. 216)
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
the locally available ones, it has pushed the limits
of building materials’ into new levels and has given
many other possibilities which whether they were
beneficial or not is a controversial matter.
However, this series of new capabilities has given
the power to many people responsible for the
design of these buildings (the majority of them
being architects) to design without considering the
context in which they build. As a consequence, this
created numerous problems. The most significant
ones is the harm to the environment and the loss
of cultural identity in the architecture of many
around the world.
After decades of irrational exploitation of the
earth’s natural resources due to the new abilities
that technology brought along, and after many
examples of inappropriate-for –their-contexts
designs issues of sourcing and transporting
materials, the impact of a building on its
environment during and after construction (i.e. the
carbon footprint of the building) have emerged as a
topic of concern in the architectural community.
Moreover, the technological advancement has
brought some other issues as well. As previously
mentioned, every culture in every corner of the
world has its own building traditions. This set of
building traditions were followed by everyone in the
given community and they were in a way an
unwritten building law which everyone accepted
and obeyed without questioning. They were
considered to be the principles of building in each
area and they were a matter of concern for
everybody living in the given area and were
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
handed down from generation to generation.18
However, with technological advancement came
the globalization which in turn might has had a
catastrophic effect on the ways people build. It has
brought a homogenizing effect in buildings around
the world. As a consequence, homogenization has
brought the disappearance of each culture’s
building traditions. Homogenization has broken the
link between society and its building traditions and
the latter ceased to be an active influential factor
on the way people build.19 (Fig.02)
18
Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1969), p.6 19
Suha Ozkan, „Traditionalism and Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century‟, in Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 97-109 (p. 108)
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Existing Appropriate
Figure 02: Existing and Appropriate evolution of architecture throughout
history20
20
Author
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Undoubtedly, the ceasement of validity of local
building traditions has yielded architecture that is in
most cases inappropriate to the complex nature of
an area’s cultural norms and environmental
conditions in a number of ways. 21
Firstly, the purposefulness of the vernacular
dwellings’ construction was lost. Every single
element of a vernacular building was put together
in the specific way for a reason, leaving at the
same time a sense of openness for evolution to
happen. This idea of the purposeful interrelation of
elements was evident in a great range of scales;
from the relationship of all the building elements
that comprise a small dwelling (micro) to the
relationship of buildings within the whole
settlement (macro) and the relationship of all of the
above to their environment. This characteristic is
something which the majority of the contemporary
designs miss. As a consequence, in the course of
time most of the contemporary buildings will prove
conceptually and visually incompetent to compare
with the timelessness of vernacular buildings. The
reason for that being that these buildings will
inevitably never feel rooted to their social nor their
environmental context as they do not respond to
them.22
Secondly, modern societies tend to put a premium
on originality and often this is done for no particular
21
Suha Ozkan, „Traditionalism and Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century‟, in Vernacular Architecture in the Twenty-First Century, ed. by Lindsay Asquith and Marcel
Vellinga (London: Taylor and Francis, 2006) pp. 97-109 (p. 108) 22
Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1969), p.6
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
reason, rather than its own sake. This tendency is
an effect of the extinction of the vernacular building
traditions as a regulator in a culture’s architecture
and consequently modern societies think of
vernacular traditions as something undesirable.23
However, this desire for originality in buildings
sometimes produces results which are based on
ill-thought responses to real life conditions of a
place. Although this is a socio-cultural
phenomenon of modern societies, it has a direct
impact on the resulted architecture.
Thirdly, as technology progresses people’s needs
follow, creating needs that people possibly never
had. Either because they were suppressed over
the knowledge that they cannot be achieved (due
to the lack of the necessary means) or simply
because they were genuinely non-existent before
people knew they could have them. The effect that
this had in architecture was the gradual increase
for the need of more complex buildings/briefs
which could not be satisfied just by following the
vernacular building traditions, making this way
vernacular building traditions obsolete compared to
the specialization of all the professions that
emerged as a result of the technological
advancement.24 The above statements are not to
say that technology should be excluded from the
process of designing and constructing buildings as
it has become an integral part of the industry and
claiming to do so would be naïve, nostalgic and
more importantly unrealistic. Technology in
23
Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1969), p.6 24
Amos Rapoport, House Form and Culture (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1969), p.7
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
respects to architecture needs to be used in
search of ways of reinforcing the vernacular
traditions rather than replacing them altogether.
The idea of using both collaboratively is what
should be the goal of every self-conscious
designer.
The ways in which the technological advancement
and its bad use have had catastrophic effects to
the environment has started to be realized by
many in the field of architecture. With the term
‘sustainability’ becoming more and more popular in
the architectural community, it has now become
one of the most popular principles for
environmentally and socially ethical responses in
the twenty-first century when it comes to building
design. However, the principles of vernacular
architecture and sustainable design share a lot of
common grounds. Therefore, the study and
thorough understanding of vernacular dwellings
and their traditions should become an integral part
of sustainable housing design in any given context.
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
3.2 Aims/Objectives and Method:
Establishing the fact that the study of vernacular
architecture can most certainly teach many
lessons on the design of sustainable housing
design, this essay’s aim is to discover the
characteristics that determined the design of these
vernacular dwellings through the process of
analysis. Then, through the careful evaluation of
these characteristics, determine which could be
applicable in the design of contemporary Cypriot
sustainable housing today and which are no longer
valid in order to be tested against a contemporary
sustainable design of the region. These principles
would ideally become the starting point of many
local architects to follow in their housing designs in
order to create designs which are addressing
contemporary needs through the aids of
contemporary means but at the same time
appropriate and well rooted to the Cypriot context.
For the conduction of this research the main
Cypriot Vernacular characteristics will be analysed
based under the four groups of approaches of
study which can be found in earlier chapters: the
historical, the environmental, the social and the
technical. A study under each one of them will
ensure a holistic approach to the matter but will
also help the readers navigate themselves easily
through the text. Through the analysis of the
Cypriot dwellings based on the four groups of
approaches a set of principles/guidelines will be
created to provide the basis of modern sustainable
housing designs in Cyprus. After generating the
set of principles/ guidelines an evaluation of which
of these are still applicable today and which have
become obsolete will take place.
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Finally, a contemporary sustainable house situated
in the Mediterranean region will be used as a case
study and through the derived principles, test and
question its validity as a sustainable response to
the Cypriot context and state where it has
succeeded, how could it improve and where could
it be revised. The findings will hopefully give a
clear idea of what is an appropriate housing design
for the Cypriot standards and will provide the
starting point of a much broader research for
myself and other designers to define the principles
for appropriate housing designs in Cyprus.
So far the majority of published material available
on Cypriot vernacular architecture has been
merely descriptive. The aim of this research is to
go beyond the mere description of Cypriot
dwellings and give guidelines on how to practice
sustainable architecture in the design of
contemporary Cypriot dwellings. Ideally, this piece
of writing will be the beginning of a much larger
one which will be constantly updated according to
the changing needs of later societies and evolve
through time just like the vernacular dwellings used
to do.
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Chapter 4 Cypriot Vernacular
analysis:
Throughout its history, Cypriot vernacular
architecture has gone through various evolutions
as a result of the natural conditions as well as the
changing economic, political & social situations of
the island. 25 Due to the island’s large area and the
varied morphology of the ground there were two
forms of dwellings developed with the most evident
difference being in the roof type. The two roof
types were the flat roof (epiklini26 or doma) and the
pitched (amfiklini). In the early examples of
dwellings the flat roof was primarily used in the
lowlands and the pitched in the highlands. 27,
However, in later evolutions the choice of the
dwelling form was determined by the needs and
occupation of the inhabitants, the materials
immediately available and the actual use of the
roof rather than merely its location. Therefore, it is
not rare to come across settlements in Cyprus that
include dwellings with both flat and pitched roof
Dwellings. For example, a flat roof would be more
useful for a farmer as some of the produce had to
be sundried (olives, tomatoes), while the pitched
roof would be more useful for a stock breeder for
storing straw for the animals. 28
4.1 Historical: influences on the dwellings according to the
historical development.
25
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 4 26
The denoted word is the name in Greek and this convention will be used throughout the text 27 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 124 28 G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 4
28 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 03: Paros29
Figure 04: Alleys in
Paros30
29
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ParosHuis.JPG> [accessed 10/01/2013] 30
<http://www.cycladia.com/blog/news/cycladic-architecture> [accessed 10/01/2013]
The fact that the first inhabitants of the island was
found to be Greeks (from as early the second
millennium BC)31 is a clear sign where the
influences of the dwelling types and the
settlements’ patterns came from. These influences
also had a large impact on the development of the
island’s family and social structure.32 Therefore the
first forms of dwellings in Cyprus were based on
dwellings found in various Greek islands due to the
Greek cultural background of the inhabitants as
well as the climatic similarities of the influential
places with Cyprus. The architectural language of
the flat roofed dwellings was based on the
Cycladic, Dodecanesian and Cretan architecture
which comprise the southern part of Greece.33 The
architecture of the southern part of Greece is
characterized by white washed houses which are
built on steep topography, next to and on top of
each another. Their cubic shapes and their
smooth-edged corners give out a unique sense of
space. (Fig. 03) Although densely-built the
settlements as a whole give a sense of airiness.
The spaces in-between the dwellings comprised of
narrow alleys (Fig. 04) which connected the
houses and occasionally some break-out spaces
were found which formed the public spaces of
landmarks within the settlements. These
landmarks would either be the church, the school
or the coffee house of the settlements.34 Even
31 G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 1 32
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 1 33
<http://www.cycladia.com/blog/news/cycladic-architecture> [accessed 28/12/12] 34
<http://www.skiathos.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=108&lang=el> [accessed 29/12/12]
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 29
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 05: Semi-
Circular Arch35
Figure 06:
Equilateral pointed
arch36
35
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Spetsb%C3%A5ge.png> [accessed 10/01/2013] 36
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Spetsb%C3%A5ge.png> [accessed 10/01/2013]
though for the first inhabitants of these islands the
aesthetics wasn’t the main purpose of their
structures, the architecture yielded had a unique
and special character which at the same time
responded to the high solar exposures of the
summer and the strong winds of the winter. 37
4.1.1 Influences:
Throughout its history, Cyprus passed through the
hands of many conquerors (Appx. 02) and each of
them had its influences on the island’s
architecture. Perhaps the most influential period of
the above eras in respects to architecture was the
middle Ages where for the first time the arches
were introduced into the island’s architecture. The
arches were either used in the interior as openings
in the partition walls (later evolutions of dwellings)
or on the exterior walls of the dwellings. This
addition was made under the Byzantine Empire
where during its early stages the Franks and
during its later times the Venetians ruled. 38
The two types of arches found in Cypriot
vernacular is the round or semi-circular arch (Fig.
05) and the equilateral pointed arch (Fig. 06) each
of them introduced in the respective era.39 In rare
cases someone might come across dwellings with
37
<http://www.cycladia.com/blog/news/cycladic-architecture> [accessed 28/12/12] 38 Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), page 93 39
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 2
30 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
triangular arches but these are mere imitations of
gothic buildings remnants of the Crusades Era.40
Even though it had no roots to the Greek
architecture and cannot be found in any other
Greek place, its application in Cyprus came as a
result of the island’s history and it became an
integral part of the island’s architectural heritage.
In its application the local builders beautifully
incorporated the feature into the Cypriot vernacular
adapting the construction methods to suit the local
building traditions by simplifying its form and
construction to suit the simple minimal form of the
buildings.41
During the Ottoman Empire the fear and
oppression that dominated the inhabitants of the
island was another influential factor of the
architecture of the island. The houses became
introverted opening up to their back gardens.
Moreover, the windows facing any public path
were minimized and in some cases they not
included at all. This was done initially for safety
against the conquerors however in later years
these strategies were adopted to achieve more
privacy in the interior of the house.
40 G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 2 41 Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), page 93
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 31
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 07: Example
of Monochoro
Typology 42
Figure 08:
Monochoro
Typology43
42
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 25 43
Antonia Theodosiou
and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 27
4.1.2 Typologies and Evolutions:
According to the people’s needs, the place’s
historic evolution and the development of its social
structure the dwellings evolved in layout creating
this way the different typologies of the Cypriot
vernacular house. There are three basic typologies
and each of them has many alterations, however,
the principles are similar: 44
1. The basic type of a single space:
monochoro or a double space dichoro
2. The basic types: monochoro or dichoro
elongated either in height or length or both
makrynari
3. And the combination of the two: epektaseis
Monochoro (single space) (Figs. 07 & 08)
This typology has two main variations both of
which house the activities into a rectangular room.
The first variation is the single room which houses
sleeping preparing food and keeping animals in a
rectangular shaped room. (Fig. 09) The second is
the makrynari, a prolonged rectangular shape
which is separated through a step into two areas.
There was the main area where the family
activities took place, such as eating and preparing
food and a smaller one for keeping the animals.45
(Fig. 10)
44
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 74 45
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 75
32 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 09: Monochoro 46
α. 4.00 - 4.30 m, β. 6.00 - 7.00 m, γ. 2.60 - 3.30 m
Figure 10: Monochoro Makrynari 47
α. 4.00 - 4.30 m, β. 6.00 - 7.00 m, γ.
2.70 - 3.25 m
46
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G.
Leventis, 1996) p. 75
47 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G.
Leventis, 1996) p. 74
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 33
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 11: Dichoro
Typology48
Figure 12: Dichoro
Makrynari49
48
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 27 49
Antonia Theodosiou
and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama
(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 76
Dichoro: (two spaces) (Fig. 11) and (Fig.
12)
Dichoro was the evolution of the monochoro and it,
too, featured two evolutions: The two-room house:
dichoro and the elongated two-room house:
dichoro makrynari’. (Fig. 14) The main difference
from the monochoro typology was the addition of a
partition wall creating a segregation of the
communal from the private areas.50 The partition
wall featured either a rectangular opening or in the
dwellings of the wealthier featured an arch. This
partition was either perpendicular or parallel (Fig.
13)
Anoi: Two storey dwellings
Later evolutions of the two aforementioned
typologies featured the addition of a storey above.
In contrast to the single storey typologies these
houses could also be found detached. The main
purpose of upper floor was to provide a more
private space for sleeping.51 Other beliefs are that
the extra storey served as storage space for the
farmers’ produce or straw for feeding the animals.
(Fig. 15)
50
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 76 51
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 77
34 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 13: Dichoro Typology and its variations52
α1: 5.70 - 9.50 m β1: 6.00 - 9.50 m γ1: 2.70 - 3.30 m γ2: 2.60 - 3.00 m
52
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G.
Leventis, 1996) p. 77
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 14: Dichoro Makrynari 53
α2: 5.40 - 8.00 m β2: 10.00 - 15.00 m γ4: 2.70 - 3.15 m γ5: 2.80 - 3.50 m
Figure 15: Vertical Repetitions of Monochoro and Monochoro Makrynari 54
53
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 77
36 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
α: 4.00 - 4.50 m β: 6.00 m γ: 5.50 - 6.50 m
α: 4.00 - 4.50 m, β: 11.00 m, γ: 5.50 - 6.50 m
54
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G.
Leventis, 1996) p. 78
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 37
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 16: Solarium
with arches55
Figure 17: Solarium
with timber shelter56
55 Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 128 56 Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 118
Epektaseis: Variations
Even though some dwellings had different
characteristics than the three aforementioned
basic typologies, all of them had as basis one of
the three. Such variations could include the
addition of extra rooms or an extra storey. All of
these additions were adaptations of the houses
based on the inhabitant’s specific needs. They
were effectively repetitions of typologies grown
horizontally i.e. two dichoro typology dwellings
place adjacently (Fig. 18α) or placed
perpendicularly to form an L-shape (Fig. 18β) or
the addition of a monochoro or dichoro into the
existing monochoro makrynari or dichoro
makrynari (Fig. 18γ). The vertical additions could
be the an extra storey in the monochoro or dichoro
typology (Fig 19α) or the addition of the extra
storey to convert the existing house into the anoi
typology (Fig 19β) or the addition of the
monochoro or monochoro makrynari on top of a
dichoro or a dichoro makrynari (Fig. 19γ).
The determining factors of the location of the
extensions in relation to the existing house were
the shape of the plot, the orientation of the dwelling
and the maximization of use of existing boundary
walls. In these extensions it was common to come
across the additions of a space between inside
and outside which was usually placed in front of
the entrance and was effectively a covered porch
named solarium
38 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
(iliakos)57 (Fig. 20). This addition was what allowed
the use of arched openings on the facade of the
buildings mentioned above.58 (Fig. 16 and 17)
57
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 79 58
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 76
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 39
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 18: Examples of horizontal epektaseis59
59
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G.
Leventis, 1996) p. 79
40 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 19: Examples of vertical epektaseis60
α
β
γ
60
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 80
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 20: Houses with Iliakos 61
61
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p. 135
42 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 21: View to
the Ssospiton62
Figure 22:
Mezzanine
addition63
62
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama
(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 148 63
Antonia Theodosiou
and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 148
Ancillary Spaces:
As the cultural development of the island evolved
the social needs of the inhabitants grew resulting
in the need for other ancillary spaces.64 Such
space was the in-house room (ssospiton) (Fig. 21)
which was added as an extra room at the back of
the dichoro typology. Cypriots were famous for
their warm hospitality therefore this room served
as a guest room as it was not unusual to have
guests sleeping over relatively often. In it they
usually built a timber mezzanine (Fig. 22) which
served as a warehouse for storing the food
supplies of the family as well as cereals for the
animals therefore making use of the room
throughout the year.65 Ssospiton can be found in
some dwellings of the dichoro typology and was
usually added at the back of the house. In later
evolutions the room was moved on the side.
Another additional room commonly found was the
cooking room (mairkon) in which the kitchenware
was stored and the food preparation was taking
place. All the rest of the ancillary spaces were
placed in the dwellings’ garden. and included a
stable, a washing closet, a cistern for washing
clothes and a built outdoor fireplace which was
used for cooking meals in the summer.66
64
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 124 65
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.34 66
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.38
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 43
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 23: Kritou
Terra67
Figure 24: Kritou
Terra headwaters
67 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama
(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 2
4.2 Environmental: Analysis of morphological/topographical
data such as ground contours, natural features such as rivers, and
microclimatic data such as sun orientation, prevailing winds, and
humidity levels.
4.2.1 Morphological/Topographical factors which
affected the settlements and their architecture:
The fact that Cypriot vernacular dwellings are characterized by simple and frugal forms was a proof of the sensitivity the inhabitants showed to the landscape. By building them as low as possible into the landscape they showed their intention to make the dwellings subordinate to their environment and the topographical characteristics of an area. This was a determinant factor on the dwelling siting as well as its typology.68 In lowlands where the topography of the ground was relatively flat the dwellings featured a flat roof and they were primarily single-storey presenting a horizontal growth. In highlands where the topography was steeper and the available plots where smaller in comparison to lowlands, the dwellings were usually two-storey high presenting a vertical growth. Moreover, the fact that the plots are smaller on highlands meant that the settlements were densely-built. This helped reducing the intensity of the strong winter winds and allow for more heat retention in the interior of the houses. Due to the low availability of arable land the dwellings were placed on the rocky part of the available land in order to leave the arable land free for harvesting and growing animals. 69 Another environmental factor which affected the
location of the dwellings within a settlement was
the availability of natural features such as water
around the area. For example, Kritou Terra (Fig.
23) which is one of the few settlements in Cyprus
68
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 51 69
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 50
44 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
that benefits from a river running along the
settlement had all of its 200 dwellings facing the
river.70 Along the southern part of the river, the
water-related activities and constructions
flourished with the main ones being the fountain of
the headwaters (Fig. 24) taking advantage this way
to the fullest the availability of the water.
Moreover, the north-western part of the settlement
follows the direction of a sub-branch of the river
because of which the settlement becomes curvy. 71
The dwellings form a linear development and they
follow the two main circulation axes of the
settlement which separate the village into an
acclivity and a declivity.72 However it was the
river’s shape which determined the building
allocation and therefore the two main circulation
axes (Fig.25). With the exception of the two
circulation axes the rest of the settlement’s paths
are formed as spaces in-between the boundary
walls of the houses which followed the topography.
This meant that the boundary walls were built in
such way as to avoid large height differences from
one side to another and therefore waste of
material. The above strategic choices showed how
the inhabitants evaluated their options and took
advantage to the fullest extent the area’s
characteristics and natural resources.
70
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 30 71
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 30 72
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 31
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 45
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 25: Kritou Tera settlement growth follows the river73
73
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 41
46 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 26
Monochoro with the
entrance on the
shorter side74
74
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.106
4.2.2 Microclimatic conditions and effects on the
dwellings‟
The microclimate of the area such as the sun
intensity and the sun angles, the prevailing winds
as well as the humidity levels were another
determining factor on a settlement’s architecture.
Orientation/ Solar Gains:
The orientation of the buildings was also an
important decision that had to be taken and was
heavily influenced by the environmental conditions
of the area. The houses were traditionally, long
and narrow which was done to allow as much
sunlight access as possible into their interior. 75
Usually, in the single and two-room houses
(monochoro and dichoro), the doors were being
placed on one of the shorter sides of the
rectangular shaped buildings (Fig. 26) and in later
evolutions (monochoro and dichoro makrynari) it
was placed on the longer side but always facing
south to allow for the bigger opening to face the
sun and therefore allow more sunlight in the
interior (Fig. 27).76 The garden was also south-
facing which meant that the entrance opened into
the garden (Fig. 27). 77 This reinforced the idea of
the strong connections of people with nature.
75
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.30 76 G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.4 77
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 50
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 47
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
In later evolutions, in dwellings which featured
solarium (‘iliakos’) the entrance was always
exposed to the sun and was effectively warming up
the three walls instead of only one. Exposing as
many thermally massive wall surfaces as possible
to the sun ensured maximum solar gains which
were extremely beneficial during the winter (Fig.
28).78 In contrast to the low winter solar ray the
high summer ones were blocked off from the
shelter allowing the air underneath the solarium to
cool down and provide comfortable conditions.
Prevailing winds:
The solarium was also serving as a buffer zone
between inside and outside which was blocking-
out some of the strong winds in the winter. The
addition of the solarium was also particularly useful
as to restrict unwanted infiltration from the
entrance door which was the biggest opening in on
the house (Fig. 28). Moreover, the northern and
western walls of the dwellings were usually kept
blank or with minimal openings to block-out the
strong prevailing winds coming from these sides.79
Although they were small, the openings on the
northern side of the dwellings had a significant
importance for the cross ventilation of the house
something essential, especially during the
harvesting period (Fig. 27). 80
78
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.29 79
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 50 80
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.23
48 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Humidity:
In the highlands where the humidity levels were
high the main spaces of the dwellings were placed
on the top storey leaving the ground floor for the
ancillary spaces such as for keeping the animals
and storing food supplies.81
81
Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou
(Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 38
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 49
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 27: Environmental performance of monochoro and dichoro houses82
Figure 28: Environmental performance of house with iliakos 83
82
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 92
50 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
83
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.141
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 51
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 29:
Settlement allocation
on map. Pano
Arodes (orange) and
Kathikas (blue)84
84 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama
(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 2
4.3 Social: Analysis of settlement patterns, squares/meeting
points, main circulation arteries, important public buildings, and social
aspects of individual dwellings.
4.3.1 Settlement Growth Patterns:
In general there were two ways which a settlement
could grow. The first way of settlement growth was
by placing the main square in the most prominent
site of the area. This would form the centre of the
village in which the church and the coffee house
with a small shop in it were situated (i.e. the public
buildings of the village). The dwellings were then
allocated either in a ringed development around
this central core (Fig. 30) or in fingers (Fig. 30)
which had the central core as the focal point. The
first way of development can found in the
settlement of Pano Arodes and the second in
Kathikas. (Fig. 31) The topography of the site
would determine the public footpaths which in turn
determined the way in which the dwellings will be
developed around the main square (in rings or
fingers). This was the most common planning type
of Cypriot village. However, in some cases when
the place had special environmental characteristics
they became the determinant factors on the
planning growth of the village. These
characteristics were the area’s topography or the
availability of water features such as a river. The
topography for example determined the
settlements footpaths and the dwellings would be
built around the existing infrastructure leaving the
landmarks’ allocation second in priority. In the case
of the availability of a water feature such as a river,
the dwellings would be built along it in order to
make them out of its use (Fig. 32). This meant that
52 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
the landmarks of a village such as the church, the
coffee house and the shop were placed in a
separate building block from the dwellings. In any
of the two ways of settlement growth the
landmarks were easily accessible by all the
dwelling blocks within the settlement. 85
85
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama
(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 73
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 30: Ringed Development of Pano Arodes settlement86
86
Author
54 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 31: Finger Development of Kathikas settlement87
87
Author
welsh school of architecture | Pantelis Charalambides wsa5 55
Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 32: Natural-Feature-Dependant Development of Kritou Tera settlement88
88
Author
56 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
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Figure 33: Blank
Facades of Kathikas
Figure 34: Dwelling
Complexes in
Kathikas89
89
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 54
4.3.2 The streetscape and the internal courtyards:
The public paths were separating the settlement
into building blocks which usually comprised of
complexes of three to four houses. The positioning
of the dwellings was done in such way, so as to
create secluded internal courtyards. The
introverted character of the complexes was
underlined by the fact that the houses’ entrances
were placed away from the public realm (Fig.33,
36) and opening into the internal courtyard (Fig.34,
35) achieving this way a level of privacy and safety
during war times. All the activities were taking
place in the secluded internal courtyard formed the
everyday social life of the inhabitants, away from
the eyes of the passers-by and more importantly
the conquerors. Within the courtyard the
neighbouring relationships were usually brotherly
and helping each other especially during war times
was an integral part of everyday life. Moreover, it
was not rare to find whole complexes which were
owned by related families. Within the courtyard,
the space immediately outside the house was each
family’s private garden. The connection with nature
was an integral part of the Cypriot life therefore a
family would spend a substantial amount of time
outdoors in their private garden. Especially in the
later evolutions of dwellings which featured a
solarium, this became even more evident. In the
solarium there was an outdoor fireplace which was
used for cooking and a cistern which was used for
washing. The addition of these two features in the
solarium is a clear indication of how extensively
the outdoor area of the house was used.
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Figure 35: Dwelling Complexes in Pano Arodes 90
90 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 57
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Figure 36: Dwelling facades from the public path in Pano Arodes 91
91 Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 98
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Figure 37:
Monochoro in Kritou
Tera with entrance
in the public path92
Figure 38:
Relationship of
92
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 81
houses to the two streets.93
In some settlements however, the entrances of the
houses were directly opening into the main
movement axes (Fig. 37). This was due the
morphology of the area which had dramatic height
differences between the front and the back of the
house as well as the lack of garden. The majority
of the dwellings had streets running on both the
upper and lower part of the dwellings, restricting
the choice of the entrance positioning.94 In these
cases, there were two entrances immediately
accessible from the public paths both at the higher
and the lower part and they were accessible by an
interior staircase which was named petroskala95
(Fig. 38). Inevitably the morphology of the area has
heavily influenced both the everyday life of the
inhabitants as well as the architecture of these
villages since it was not possible to have internal
courtyards.
4.3.3 Public Buildings:
In times of war the church was the only body which
was autonomous. The building of the church was
the asylum from the conquerors. For this reason,
the church played an important role in a
settlement’s social activities. There the children
were getting their education, were nurtured by
93
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 95 94
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 51 95
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 94
60 Pantelis Charalambides wsa5| welsh school of architecture
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Greek ideals and values, as well as the values and
beliefs of Christianity. 96Therefore it was not rare
for the priest of the village to become the teacher
of the village. All the community meetings were
taking place in the church in order to discuss
issues of public concern such as tax collection. It is
believed by many that it is because of the church’s
autonomy that the Greek identity with all its
customs and traditions remained alive on the
island.97 The social life of the people was taking
place in the church every Sunday in the liturgy and
the fanfares which were being organized by the
body of the church. These fanfares were held in
honour of the patron Saint of the village in the
squares outside the church. Every village had its
own patron Saint and their inhabitants ensured it
was a different one from their neighbouring
villages. These fanfares were very important
events for the trade continuation in times of war.98
In times of peace, men were meeting in the
coffeehouse in which there was usually a small
shop. The coffeehouse was one of the most
important buildings of the village since it was
normally the primary venue for social interaction
such as playing cards or discussing the
happenings of the day.99
96
Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 21 97
Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou
(Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 21 98
Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 21 99
Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou
(Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 25
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4.3.4 Uses of the dwelling
The dwelling was considered the guardian of the
family life as well as for the customs and morals of
the Greek culture especially in times of war.100
The importance of the dwelling in a family’s social
life was underlined by the fact that the
infrastructure such as the footpaths and the
location of the landmarks and their squares was
formed in such way to serve the dwelling’s
orientation.101 The Cypriot vernacular dwellings
operationally cover all the range of activities
needed in order for the families to survive through
the difficulties of the agricultural life. The man was
usually working outdoors either as a farmer or
shepherd. Usually he worked in the fields and in
some occasions in his own garden.102 He was
responsible for bringing the food and money into
the house. The everyday life of a woman primarily
included activities within the house such as taking
care of the family’s children, washing and knitting
clothes for the family and the knitting of linen for
the house. 103 The people’s activities show their
strong dependence on the house, and one can
easily say that these houses were what the
contemporary architects describe as live-work
units. During the night, during winter times and the
harvesting period, the living space was the place
where all the family gathered and spend time.
100
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.60 101
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 73 102
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996) p. 51 103
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.43
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The fireplace and the dining table were considered
sacred because these were the spaces in which
the parents were nurturing their children with
values such as religious and Greek morals. The
grandparents were putting the children to sleep
with storytelling of their experiences which always
had an educational value behind them. This is also
the places where the whole family cooked and ate
together listening to the sounds of the holy liturgy.
The above activities had an almost sacred
meaning for the family whose bonding was
strengthened through them. Therefore, the place in
which all of the above took place inevitably had a
sacred character.104 The above shows how
important and sacred were the family traditions for
the Cypriots. Most of them still exist until today in
modern families.
4.3.5 Dwelling Customs:
There are many customs in building the Cypriot
vernacular house which apply either before, during
or after its construction. Like the vernacular
principles define, a dwelling was being built by the
persons who would inhabit it. In most cases it was
mainly the husband of a newlywed with some help
from the wife and sometimes from the father of the
bride. In some occasions the groom would ask for
help for some more specialized people if it was
necessary, called master-builders
(‘protomastores’).105 However, this was avoided
whenever possible since every groom was taking
pride in constructing of his house.
104
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.60 105
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.7
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Figure 39: House
built from
sieropetres106
Figure 40: Fences
built from
athasopetres107
Figure 41: Walls
made out of mixture
of rubble108
106
Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 76 107
Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 76 108
Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki
4.4 Technical: Analysis of: materials used, construction
methods, form of the dwellings, sizes of structural and secondary
elements, span sizes, building heights, storey heights etc.
4.4.1 Materials:
Local stone, timber, and rarely clay or plinth forms
the material palette of Cypriot vernacular
dwellings. However, the type of stone varied
depending on the location the dwelling-to-be-
built.109 And the stones used can be separated into
three types: the hard stones, the soft stones and
the mixtures of crushed rubble. 110
Stone:
The hard rocks were left rough due to the difficulty
of smoothening them out. Such rocks were the
sieropetra (hard as steel) and schistolithos (Fig.
39). There were also the softer stones, which
were easy to shape such as the athasopetra,
pouropetra, marmaropetra and alafropetra (Fig
40).111 These were the most commonly found
stones however they were not widely used
because they were prone to decay from weather
conditions such as the strong winds and the
rain.112 The third form of stone was the mixtures of
a variety of stones in the form of rubble. Such
mixtures were primarily used as infill materials
even though sometimes they were used for the
fencing of the houses and the courtyards.
Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 76 109
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.69 110
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.2 111
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.7 112
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.7
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Plinth:
The plinth and the clay were the alternative
material choices for wall construction however they
were not widely used due to their lack of thermal
properties, robustness and the laborious
preparations needed for their production. For the
production of plinth, specialized people were
responsible who placed the mixture of the
materials into timber formworks sized 400 x 300 x
6mm and exposed them into the sun to dry. After
they dried, they were transported on site, which
was usually close by, and they were adhered into
the wall using clay, gypsum or lime.113
113
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.8
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Figure 42: Window
detailing as seen
from the exterior.114
Figure 43: Window
detailing as seen
from the interior.115
114
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama
(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 140 115
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama
Timber:
The types of timber used in the dwelling were also
depending on what was available in the immediate
context and it was usually pine tree, olive, and
cypress or carob tree.116 The roof and the
secondary elements such as doors, windows,
pergolas, and balconies were the primarily building
parts which were made out of timber. They were
usually left untreated and in rare cases they were
painted in colours that invoked the Greek identity
such as cyan, blue or green.
4.4.2 Wall Construction:
The stones which formed the walls were of
rectangular shape and this was achieved by using
hand tools. Their size varied between 400-650mm
in length x 250-350mm in width x 200-220mm in
depth. In areas were the locally available stone
was very hard it was used in more irregular shapes
due to the lack of the necessary means to shape it.
Around the openings such as doors, windows and
chimneys the stones used had a slaty shapes with
depth of around 180mm (Fig. 42) and (Fig.43). In
the houses of the wealthy, the joints between the
stone were incredibly thin. The bonding material
which was used was clay gypsum or lime in others,
the infill material was a mixture of rubble. During
construction a scaffold was employed which was
attached to the wall-to-be-constructed. After the
wall was fully erected, the scaffold was removed
however the gaps in the wall remained and they
(Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 140 116
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 114
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Figure 44: Wall with
skalosiotripes117
117
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 116
were sized around 100-200mm width by 100-
20mm height. These “pixels” on the wall were
named arseres or scaffold holes (skalosiotripes)
and they were intentionally kept open after
construction as they were very useful for
ventilating the space and bringing some light in.
This technique was introduced in the dwellings
during the Ottoman Empire replacing this way any
unnecessary windows facing the street (Fig. 44).118
4.4.3 Roof:
As previously mentioned, there were two types of
roof used in Cypriot Dwellings. The first was flat
which was slightly sloped towards one side named
amfiklini or doma and it was used in the basic
typology (monochoro). For its construction logs of
Cypress or Pine trees were used which had the
bark removed. Because of the restricted size of the
logs in terms of height they were placed width wise
which restricted the spanning distances to
maximum 3.3 metres. The logs were placed in
intervals of 250-350mm depending on the
diameter, which varied between 120-150mm. On
top of the main rafters they usually placed small
branches of carob tree or straw held together with
rope. If they used carob tree branches for the
second layer they would place dried spiny shrubs
as the third layer to block off rodents from entering
the house. If however they used straw the third
layer would be a thin layer of soil. In both cases
grains of slat were sprinkled every now and then to
avoid vegetation from growing on the
118
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 116
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Figure 45: Doma119
119
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 127
roof (Fig. 45).120 In later typologies, such as the
monochoro or dichoro makrynari, the pitched roof
(amfiklini) became more widespread. For the
construction of the pitched roof two orthogonally
sectioned beams (nefka) were used which their
size was 250 x 250 mm. In this type of roof the
beams were spanning lengthwise. At the point
where the two beams were joined a large timber
vertical support was placed. It always had Y-
shaped branches on its top end in order to support
the joint between the two beams. This was either
the log of an olive, pine or carob tree and was
around 300mm in diameter. The log was cut during
winter time (preferably January) to avoid erosion.
In most cases underneath the two beams there
was a smaller beam (mesodotzi) which was used
for extra the reinforcement of the joint of the two
beams and to close the gap between the base of
the Y-shaped support and the two main beams.
Rarely two timber 150mm supports (males) were
attached diagonally to the two main beams and
rested on the main trunk of the Y-shape element
for extra support. The Y-shaped column was
usually elevated from the ground resting on some
stones to avoid water decay. However, in some
houses the logs rest straight on the ground. 121
The next layers and the procedure followed were
identical to the first type except that in some later
dwellings they used tiles instead of dried spiny
shrubs (Fig. 46), (Fig. 47)122
120
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 127 121
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 125 122
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 127
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Figure 46: Amfiklini
roof Detail123
Figure 47: Y-shaped
beams as seen from
the interior.124
123
G. Ch. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.127 124
Stephanos Sinos, Anadromi sti Laiki Arxitektoniki tis Kiprou (Athens: Emp Scholi Architektonon Michanikon1976), p. 117
4.4.4 Flooring:
The first form of flooring was the soil or rock on
which the houses were built. The only treatment
that the soil got was to be flattened and
compressed. Later, the floors of the houses were
covered with tiles made out of gypsum
(gypsomarmara) which were cut in the desired size
using a handsaw. Usually the sizes were 300mm
width by 300, 450, 600,750, 900 or 1200mm in
length. The tiles were then adhered on the ground
using a mixture of straw and clay.125
4.4.5 Wall renders:
On the earlier dwellings the external surface of the
walls was left un-rendered with the masonry
construction exposed. In later evolutions some of
the houses had the external walls rendered with a
mixture of gypsum powder and water which was
always white colour. However, the interior of the
houses was always rendered in white. The gypsum
was applied in three layers to make sure it created
a smooth finish.126
4.4.6 Colour Palette:
The colour palette of the buildings was white or of
ochre tones with the secondary elements of the
house such as windows, doors, balconies and
pergolas left in natural timber colours. Whenever
125
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 147 126
Antonia Theodosiou and Anastasia Pitta, Oikismoi tou Akama (Nicosia: Anastasios G. Leventis, 1996), p. 146
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
the secondary elements were painted, they would
be done so in shades of blue or green. This was
usually done after the island was freed from the
various conquerors as a sign of celebration of the
ever-present Greek identity. 127
4.4.7 Fireplace (‘Niskia’):
The fireplace was made out of stone as part of the
wall construction and in the earlier evolutions of
the house (monochoro), it was placed in the corner
while in later (monochoro or dichoro makrynari), it
was placed in the middle of the longer wall of the
house. It was not unusual for the corner ones to
have semi-circular shape when seen in plan. Their
size varied between 1250mm and 1400mm in
width and was elevated around 700mm form the
ground. This was used either for lighting fire as a
heating source or for cooking.
4.5 Formulation of Principles:
The following table summarizes the important
lessons learnt from the analysis of the above
sections. The principles are separated into the
aspects analysed in the main body. Each aspect, it
I separated into macro and micro scale principles
in order to distinguish which one can be used for a
small dwelling and which ones can be used for
planning. (Fig. 48)
127
G. P. Papacharalampous, I Kipriaki Ikia (Nicosia: Kentron
Epistimonikon Erevnon, 1968), p.2
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Figure 48
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Figure 49: Ramón
Esteve behind the
model of the house
Figure 50: concept
sketch of the cubic
shaped building128
128
Dominique Gauzin – Müller, Sustainable Living: 25 international examples, (France: Birkhäuser, 2006), p.134
Chapter 5: Case Study
5.1 House in La Solana, by Ramón Esteve:
The case study chosen is a holiday house located
in La Solana, a small town south of Valencia. It
was designed by the local architect Ramón Esteve
(Fig. 49) in nineteen ninety eight. The architect
drew his inspiration from vernacular architecture
and his focus was the interaction between use and
function as well as the appropriate use of
materials. His design is based on the principles of
domestic vernacular architecture with an interest to
providing a comfortable environment for the
occupants even during the extremely hot summer
months, which are typical in the Mediterranean
region.129 His ideas, inspirations and approaches
provide a perfect case study to compare against
the principles derived in the previous chapter
(Appx 03). For the purposes of a more direct
comparison to the principles, the building will be
placed in the context of the Cypriot region.
5.2 Historical:
The design of the house follows a minimalistic form
with cubic shapes and volumes which is one of the
basic principles of Cypriot vernacular dwellings.
The architect‟s shows sensitivity to the landscape
which is evident from the fact that the single-storey
house sits low into the landscape (Fig.50). The
north façade walls face the street and they are
entirely blank making the house seems as if it is
turning its back to the street (Fig.51).
129
Dominique Gauzin – Müller, Sustainable Living: 25 international examples, (France: Birkhäuser, 2006), p.134
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Figure 51: North
facade130
Figure 52: South
facade131
130
Dominique Gauzin – Müller, Sustainable Living: 25 international examples, (France: Birkhäuser, 2006), p.135 131
Dominique Gauzin – Müller, Sustainable Living: 25 international examples, (France: Birkhäuser, 2006), p.135
Once this threshold is passed however, the spaces
become more fluid and open up into the south
facing garden. The introverted character of the
house reflects the vernacular traditions on the
ways to deal with privacy issues. The spatial
organization of the house is segregated into the
communal areas and the private ones.
5.3 Environmental:
The thick walls on the northern side of the house
block off the prevailing winds coming from the west
and the north during the winter. To allow some
light into the interior, there are slits of openings low
in the walls which also serve for ventilation
purposes. The south and eastern sides are more
permeable to allow breezes in and cool the house
down during the summer. 132 The exposure to the
intense sun which in the Mediterranean region
could create overheating and glaring problems on
the south and east sides during the summer, is
controlled with the use of roof overhangs. In the
parts of the house which are more exposed to
southern sun such as outside the living room the
roof overhangs are longer creating outdoor roof
terraces.133 This way during the summer the
interior spaces are bathed with natural without
allowing the high solar rays to enter the house
keeping temperature of the house lower than
outside. Moreover, the shade created underneath
the overhangs cools the air before entering the
132
Dominique Gauzin – Müller, Sustainable Living: 25 international examples, (France: Birkhäuser, 2006), p.134 133
Dominique Gauzin – Müller, Sustainable Living: 25 international examples, (France: Birkhäuser, 2006), p.134
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
house. The thermally massive walls of the northern
side of the house also help in keeping the
temperatures low during the summer by blocking
out the heat. The south-facing glazing panels
expose the walls of the northern façade to the low
winter sun. The thermally massive walls store the
heat throughout the day and they release it into the
space during the night hours. In addition, during
winter the thermally massive walls absorb the heat
released from the fireplace and they then re-emit it
into the space. The combination of the two cover
the heating needs of the house in the majority of
times meaning the use of the radiators is very rare.
The floor to ceiling height in the communal areas is
4 meters while in the private ones nearly 3. These
proportions are typical in the Mediterranean
countries as the focus is to create draughts to cool
down the space during rather than retaining heat in
winter. The height difference between communal
and private areas is done because of the
architect‟s intention to follow the topography of the
site (Fig. 52)
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Figure 53: Spatial
organization134
Figure 54: The
fireplace135
134
Dominique Gauzin – Müller, Sustainable Living: 25 international examples, (France: Birkhäuser, 2006), p.136 135
<http://www.archello.c
om/en/project/house-monasterios/image-
5.4 Social:
The communal spaces are grouped on the western
part of the building while the private ones are
located on the eastern (Fig. 53). Moreover, the
private spaces of the house are separated from the
communal ones through a height differentiation
creating this way a segregation of spaces with
minimal use of internal partitions. (Fig. 54) The
segregation of spaces through height differences is
a characteristic also found in the early examples of
Cypriot vernacular dwellings where the space for
living was slightly elevated from the area where the
animals were kept. Moreover, the room allocation
in the private part presents a hierarchy which
reflects the family hierarchy. This is achieved by
positioning the master bedroom in the far eastern
edge, by making it larger and by providing it an en-
suite bathroom. The house also features a
freestanding fireplace which is located in the
centre of the living room. Its prominent position
underlines its importance within the house and as
in the vernacular buildings this becomes the
meeting point of the whole family, a custom which
is still sacred for the Mediterranean cultures. As
mentioned above the connection with the nature is
an important aspect of the Mediterranean life.
Therefore the provision of outdoor terrace in order
to be used as a living space during the summer
provides a modern interpretation of the solarium
found in late examples of Cypriot vernacular
dwellings.
21>[accessed 20/01/2013]
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
5.5 Technical:
The primary material for the walls used is local
limestone-blocks. The 600mm blocks were
constructed using traditional methods.136 One
could argue that use of a scarce material with high
extraction costs such as the limestone contradicts
with the vernacular principle of using locally
available materials and therefore it is an
inappropriate choice for a sustainable house.
However, its use offers a wide range of functions: it
is load-bearing, it houses the technical equipment
and it is thermally and acoustically insulating.
Therefore, the use of limestone goes beyond the
mimic of vernacular tradition and proves much
beneficial in cost as well as environmentally
friendly.
The roof was made out of concrete which is a
thermally massive material and can block off high
temperatures in the summer months. Incorporated
on the roof, there is a rainwater collection system
with a tank which allows for seventy thousand litres
of water to be stored. This water can be used for
the pool or for watering the plants. Due to the lack
of sufficient rainfall in the area the use of such
system is not sufficiently justified. Instead, a green
roof could be used to provide insulation from the
intense sun as well as to be used as green terrace.
This response would be more responsive to
vernacular traditions. Moreover it would be more
appropriate to the architect‟s initial concept of
providing comfortable environmental conditions
within the house.
136
< http://www.ramonesteve.com/residencial/vivienda-la-solana#navegador-siguiente> [accessed 20/01/2013]
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The window frames galvanized steel. The use of
galvanized steel is not a material friendly to the
environment nor is it locally available, however
comparing its environmental performance against
the wood in terms of air tightness and heat
exchange properties are far greater. Therefore,
having in mind that the architect‟s main focus was
the provision of comfortable internal conditions, it
is in this respect a sustainable choice. Moreover
the architect has visually linked it back to
vernacular traditions with the choice of its colour.
The colour palette of the house follows the ones
found in vernacular dwellings. The colours of the
walls and roof are tones of ochre and white
respectively. The bright colours are reflecting the
strong solar rays helping in the reduction of the
internal temperatures especially during the
summer.
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
Chapter 6: Conclusions and Findings
Ramón Esteve with his design in La Solana proves
that there is way to build contemporary sustainable
houses based on vernacular architecture
principles. In my opinion, his design is a perfect
example of how a sustainable house could be
employed in the Cypriot context. Not all of the
principles derived in chapter four were followed in
his design however, this is only an indication of
how well he has thought what could be learnt, what
can be carried through with some adjustments and
what has to be replaced altogether from the
vernacular principles in order to design a building
which responds to its context.
With new and improved technologies continuously
emerging, there is no doubt that not the all of the
vernacular principles can be carried through a
contemporary housing design. Technology and its
products are powerful and useful tools to use in the
process of designing and building however, they
need to be used wisely and more importantly
appropriately. Surely, the amount of control in a
building’s internal environment for example, is
much greater with the aids of a high tech
mechanical ventilation system than what it ever
used to be before these systems were integrated
into buildings. However, it doesn’t mean that it has
to be done just because it is possible especially
when the same effect can be achieved with
environmentally friendlier ways through the aids of
traditional principles. Rather, a deeper amount of
thought needs to be put forward in order to achieve
the exploitation of every possible way for naturally
ventilating the space before the use of mechanical
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
systems is sought. Similarly, from the sociocultural
point of view, an architect can design a
superstructure which features many innovations
and originalities in its design but, if it doesn’t
respond to the place’s building norms, traditions
and history it would eventually look out of place
both socially and environmentally. It wouldn’t
reflect any historical, cultural or environmental
meaning and if it doesn’t grasp the specific lifestyle
of the people living in the given context it will
eventually fail.
Therefore, it is of essential importance to use the
best available means of the time in order to give
solutions which still respond to the given context
just like vernacular architecture principles used to
do. A solid and thoughtful evaluation perspective
from the architect‟s side on what needs to be
followed, what needs to be adjusted and what
needs to be abandoned from the vernacular
architecture principles can determine what is
appropriate and what is not for each specific
occasion. Having thorough understanding of the
vernacular architecture principles of a place as well
as keeping on track with the new technologies that
constantly develop is what will help the
contemporary architects to harmonically blend the
two when designing a contemporary sustainable
house.
The thorough study and understanding of a place‟s
culture, history and traditions in combination with
the thoughtful use of technology would shift the
interest of the contemporary architects from
generating “original” or “interesting” forms into
generating forms that are environmentally
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
responsive as well as original with the primary aim
being to work with the environment instead of
against it. It is the ability to make the best possible
decisions and choices at each specific case which
will distinguish a good designer form a bad one.
After all, in a few years‟ time what is considered
today a contemporary design will become the
vernacular architecture for the future generations
to study. Therefore, in this respect, the
responsibility of keeping the vernacular traditions
of a built environment alive at any given context
lies in the architect‟s hands and is something that
shall not be neglected or underestimated.
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Influences of Vernacular Architecture on Cypriot Sustainable Housing Design
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