Building Materials The four elements as an architectural prism

Alberobello- a case study

A city situated in the south of Italy- a country of great architecture, delicious food and rich culture. Alberobello – the city of trullies!

Alberobello represents the heart of the Itria Valley. Founded in the 15th Century by the Counts of Acquaviva, Alberobello is a picturesque agricultural and touristic centre, formed in large part by Trulli that give it, not only a fairytale feel, but are of considerable architectural interest, recognised in 1996 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

History Dates back to 14 th century when this land was granted to count of conversano. Was colonized by people from neighbouring places. Traditionally drystone walling was imposed upon the new settlers to dismantle houses quickly, avoiding taxation.

However, historical and comparative analysis suggests that this technique was no more than a minimal physical response to local conditions and circumstances.

Orientation Alberobello spreads across two hills, on the eastern hill is the new town, with modern architectural features; on the other top, set out to west, the trulli are lined up in an urban conglomeration, subdivided into two districts: Monti and Aia Piccola. The town is a dense mass of 1500 beehive-shaped houses, white-tipped as if dusted by snow.

Vernacular Architecture Alberoballo is a well preserved and homogenised urban area of its type in Europe. It is unique having the building construction derived from prehistoric construction techniques. A technique which has survived the petina of time, and still functioning in the modern world.

Building Features  Solid Volume  Stone walls  Dome shaped roof  Top finished with pinnacle  Central round or square base  Unifying whitewashed plaster  Flexible repetition

Earth

Soil Karstic soil ( region underlain by relatively soluble rocks commonly limestone) Agricultural landscape Vegetation of almonds and olives present.

Materials from nature Stones

Trulli Stone dwellings with a conical roof Built without any cement or mortar

Made on a square or circular base realised on dry stones

small stones piled up to make a cone-shaped affair roughly 15 feet in diameter and 13 feet tall. slabs of stones arranged on the outer side of the roof to prevent rainfall leakage

These roofs are in some cases painted with a magical or pagan symbol.

Vaults Roofs blocked at the top using a single stone (serraglia) and then finished off with a pinnacle.

Arcs Can be seen as a part of the trulli design

Windows Windows kept small to keep the structure from collapsing

Road Main road moving through centre Parking is done outside the town

Streets Streets of varying thicknesses Wheelbarrows used for carrying goods

Fire

Climate  Typical Mediterranean climate, dry in most areas mild winters hot long summers  Periods of rainfall rather scarce throughout the whole region but typically concentrated in winter months

In the summer, temperature can reach upto 30 degrees Celsius

The trulli are a wonderful example of eco building that has been honed to perfection by centuries of development.

Trulli are highly thermally insulating as their main walls are very thick and built without cement and coated with lime.

In the spring the thick double walls of the trulli are cool from the winter cold which keeps their interiors cool through the summer.

By mid Autumn, the Trulli walls have been warmed up from the summer sun which keeps their interiors warm through the winter. The walls slowly cool again through the winter and in spring the cycle starts again.

The Trulli are also whitewashed to reflect the sun.

Trulli have small or no windows, only some holes at the beginning of the roof, that allow a bit of sun to look inside

small openings reduce heat losses but at the same time they decrease daylight to the interior

It has an efficient climatic regulation system that does not consume any electric power.

To increase the luminosity inside trulli, the only important source of light is the entrance door or some mirrors are placed in front of it to reflect the light in the whole interior. So, the trulli doesn’t need electric light for illumination.

Air

Average wind speed is less throughout the year.

No or small windows surely create problems of ventilation. The windows are few and very small due to efficient climatic regulation.

Thick walls don’t allow wind to enter.

Stone fireplaces and ovens are ventilated through stone slabs covering them.

Trulli bright whitewash reflects light which make it fresh during hot summer.