Let's take up a discourse undertaken in the first part of this article which, find HERE
In this second part, we will highlight the physical-chemical characteristics that make the Apulian territories unique in terms of biome and historiographical course. Enjoy the reading .
Exploit bioclimatic knowledge in the Mediterranean area
A Territory is like a cradle; Puglia due to its climatic and geological characteristics has been an excellent cradle for those who have lived there for 15,000 years.
The need to defend themselves from the hot-dry climate of arid or semi-arid regions, where average summer temperatures fluctuate between 40°C and 50°C, has led local populations to adopt technical-constructive and typological solutions for monitoring premises to adopt technical-constructive and typological solutions for monitoring the microclimate of the rooms.
From a typological point of view, the most recurring aggregate is made up of the various housing units arranged around a central open space, where the courtyard represents a real breath of fresh air. Every trick and technical solution adopted for passive cooling of the building exploits natural phenomena and the physical principles of thermodynamics, such as natural ventilation – due to pressure or temperature differences – and evaporative cooling.
Paesini di Natale tra Puglia e Basilicata
Are dry stone walls eco-friendly? Yes, the Terracing Borders of Life and Death ( Part 2 )
Are drystone walls eco-friendly? Yes, right from birth. (Part 1)
Are dry stone walls eco-friendly? Yes, since birth. (Part 1)
Aggregations and orientations of architectural units
The environmental conditions are also decisive for the volumetric organization of the settlement. In fact, if the ventilated areas are characterized by a compact design with few openings, in flat areas or areas protected by ridges orientation is essential to ensure better ventilation conditions, especially in summer. Vegetation is also used to obtain natural cooling solutions. Areas with predominantly dry and poorly ventilated climates are characterized by buildings designed on open schemes with different exposures to capture solar radiation and facilitate natural thermal ventilation.
The relationship between the functions of the individual units involved in the aggregation and their technological organization is also interesting.
The room with a barrel vault is used to contain agricultural products or as a shelter for animals thanks to the excellent hygrothermal characteristics, due to the thickness of the walls. The cross-vaulted room, used where the absence of cladding was required, is found in churches, halls and arcades.
Churches, halls and arcades. The pavilion vaulted chamber is used for small rooms and are usually located on the first floor with a residential function.
Finally, there are the technological units with sloping roofs, which do not have thermal insulation, durability and reliability requirements over time, they have been used for the confinement of materials or as barns.
Search results
The manor farm, without the constraints due to the density of the urban model, was developed according to a settlement logic that favors the environmental aspects, taking into account the nature of the soil (calcareous banks or limestone outcrops are preferred, which provide a solid for the foundations), and the nature of the outcropping calcareous or calcarenitic soil, hydrogeological situation, the relationship between climatic factors (wind, rainfall, humidity), the geomorphology, the type of soil, the humidity, the vegetation and in particular the 'solar radiation.
Cartographic identification
Cartographic identification, carried out through the GIS system, provides a quicker comparison of the most recurring characters in all the buildings considered; with the exception of those farms that benefit from particular geographical conditions, such as proximity to the road network or watercourses.
The original forest structure of Puglia has undergone many changes over time.
Some pastures have changed due to vicissitudes related to the agricultural economy, historical events and climate change, often upsetting the self-sufficiency of the agricultural system itself.
The use of the land, for defensive or economic reasons, has had to adapt to these changes.
A well-documented event, recorded in the mid-19th century, is the distraction of French vineyards by phylloxera. Apulian farmers took advantage of these events and cultivated more and more vineyards, responding to the increase in market demand to speculate.
These profound changes have triggered a rethinking of architectural factory units which must respond to different production and product storage needs, as well as different organizational dynamics.
The complex system of farms has changed from time to time, acquiring new areas or adapting existing ones.
These sudden changes have given rise to a corresponding typological change, achieved with less waste of economic resources and manpower.
Conclusions
Rural buildings, organized according to morphologies that often depend on the intrinsic characteristics of the environment, are usually an important element of the landscape.
From the organization of the information, it is clear that the base of the Apulian rural construction site, although often made up of unskilled workers, was made up of solid empirical knowledge which aimed to obtain the best climatic comfort inside the buildings.
The Islamic building tradition offers many solutions to the climatic problems observed throughout the Mediterranean area.
Some of these expedients have been found, sometimes with the same structures, even in the Apulian farms. It can be assumed that the farms have been influenced by Arab technical knowledge which, although mediated by the Norman domination first and then by the Aragonese, was subjected by the local workers.
This hypothesis is supported by several historical documents in which Muslim craftsmen at the court of Frederick II worked to build castles, decorate religious buildings and make handicrafts.
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