BOOK REVIEW

Image source: http://www.routledge.com/architecture/blog/category/professional/

This book, edited by Willi Weber and Simos Yannas is basically about the relationship between vernacular architecture and climate in other words how vernacular architecture responds to climate. The books has 2 parts and 14 chapters all of which are papers and case studies derived from essays of conference proceedings for the twenty third (23rd) Passive and Low energy architecture (PLEA) conference in Geneva which went with the theme; Clever Design, Affordable Comfort.

What interests me about this book is the very first chapter which is practically a case study of the small island and Santorini, Greece. The author in this chapter, Thanos Stasinopoulos studies the vernacular architecture of the island use of available minimal resources in terms of building materials to achieve maximum comfort in terms of the response to the climate.

It is suggested in this chapter that since the time of ancient Greece, there have always been four elements of nature namely fire, earth, air and water and that these elements have all played a major role in the vernacular architecture of Santorini. For example, The walls are constructed with red and black lava stone and then covered with plaster, This is part of the earth element. Since the island is one which was one prone to volcanic eruptions, volcanic ash with properties similar to cement are used to cast mortar for thicker and stronger walls. (Weber and Yannas, 2014:19)

Naturally sourced red lava stone for masonry construction (Weber and Yannas, 2014:19)

It also provides that water is sourced primarily from the rain and the traditional system used is such that the roofs of the buildings are used to collect rainwater and the water is then channeled through routes which are frequently disinfected with a piece of naturally sourced limestone, the water itself is also disinfected with limestone. The roofing system is usually in form of a vault where the roof structure is connected mainly to two opposite thick external walls in order to achieve long span of construction.

Vaulted roof structure which allows for the proper drainage of rainwater which is then channeled through the  narrow route beside the stairway to storage location. (Weber and Yannas, 2014:21).

One other aspect of this the transportation of materials which is done by the use of donkeys due to the very steep nature of the island and for that reason, there are many stairways.

In conclusion I find the case of Santorini Island very interesting as there is maximum use of the local natural resources available and the construction of these buildings have a very low negative effect on the environment. I only focused on the natural resources and local materials, however the vaulted roofs, thick masonry, smooth plaster and small size window openings say a lot about the identity of the vernacular architecture of the island. I think the philosophy of making use of resources available to reduce both negative environmental impact and cost can be implemented in my thesis project. Another area of focus and further research is the water collection, storage and circulation system, how this could be achieved in a similar but more innovative way using River Kaduna.