Bioclimatic lessons from Mediterranean vernacular architecture: The Sardinian case study

Desogus, Giuseppe; Cannas, Leonardo Giuseppe Felice; Sanna, Andrea

doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.07.051

Cited by 50 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…In inland Southern Portugal, the vernacular architecture developed specific mitigation strategies, that in general are more focused on passive cooling during summer, as mentioned in previous publications [11,14,15]. From these strategies, the heavy earthen walls stand out for keeping indoor temperature and relative humidity stable, as observed in other studies [14,16,40], particularly during summer, and are an element that characterises vernacular architecture from this region [30,41]. The use of rammed earth in the region is ancient, and the flat terrain, dry climate and the abundance of clayey material were favourable factors to the use of earthen materials in a large scale [30].…”

Section: Description Of the Case Studymentioning

confidence: 80%

Passive strategies used in Southern Portugal vernacular rammed earth buildings and their influence in thermal performance

et al. 2019

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In Portugal, there is a lack of quantitative studies on the thermal performance of earthen buildings. This paper aims at contributing to this research context by studying site-specific strategies, and the thermal performance and comfort conditions of a rammed earth building located in southern Portugal. The study is based on objective and subjective assessments and consists of assessing the hygrothermal conditions, thermal comfort levels and analysing the occupants' perception regarding thermal sensation. The results showed that the strategies used are closely related to local conditions, mitigating the effects of high summer temperatures and ensuring a good summer thermal performance by passive means alone. During the summer monitoring, results showed that the building stayed most of the time (80%) in Category I (high level of expectation) and the remaining time in Category II, according to the classification method defined by the standard EN15251. During the winter period, the building had the worst performance, being necessary a heating system to guarantee comfort conditions. Additionally, the results showed that the good thermal performance of the case study depended more on the high thermal inertia than on the U-value of the envelope. Limitations and advantages of the use of earthen construction elements are discussed.

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Section: Description Of the Case Studymentioning

confidence: 80%

Passive strategies used in Southern Portugal vernacular rammed earth buildings and their influence in thermal performance

et al. 2019

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“…The landscape of Sardinia shows geomorphologic variability with hilly areas covering large portions of the island followed by flat land and a small series of mountainous areas [32]. The climate is characterized by mild to hot and dry summers with wet and cold winters and has an average annual rainfall of 756 mm [33]. The rural landscape is dominated by millennia of extensive livestock activities [34,35] and the island currently holds approximately 2,896,905 head of sheep, representing 4% of the total European ovine population [36].…”

Section: Study Area and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Help from the sky: Can vultures contribute to Cystic Echinococcosis control in endemic areas?

et al. 2021

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Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is endemic in Sardinia and constitutes a serious public health concern due to high prevalence in livestock and humans. Despite sustained efforts, control of the disease had been unsuccessful in the region. Problematic carcass disposal due to soaring incineration costs and free access of dogs to infected carrion are dominant factors, fueling endemicity among other. As sole obligate scavenger, griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) are uniquely specialized to eliminate carcasses swiftly and efficiently, saving on unnecessary environmental and economic costs for carrion disposal. However, following drastic population declines across Europe, griffon vultures practically went extinct in Italy. A conservation expansion program in Sardinia successfully reinforced the last remaining Italian vulture population by mitigating the main threats to its survival; food shortage. Through the establishment of supplementary feeding stations, permanent supply of livestock cadavers was provided. In this research, the management and conservation implications on the controlled disposal of carcass disposal through vulture feeding stations on the control of CE in Sardinia were assessed. During the course of the project, vultures scavenged a total of 81,361 kg of biomass, saving €90,041 in incineration costs and € 1,054 in CO2 emission. Through extrapolation of these results, a total of 5,304 kg of suspected CE infected sheep carcasses (65.3%) was calculated to have been disposed by griffons, considerably reducing the CE risk and burden in Sardinia. A quantification of the amount of biomass that could be eliminated by griffon in a succeeding conservation project was also made. These calculations implied that 162,722 kg of biomass, including 10,608 kg of infected biomass from sheep, would be consumed over a period of 5 years, further lowering the CE burden in Sardinia. Our results, driven under one health approach, emphasize the crucial and direct role of griffons in breaking the lifecycle of CE as well as their indirect role in rendering multiple ecosystem and economic services through the elimination of carcasses.

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“…"Local architecture is the architecture of a specific location, defined by the particular use of forms, construction methods and materials" [75], and it is a value in the field of sustainability. Therefore, it is important to identify local construction solutions, of a cultural nature [76], related to the scale of intervention.…”

Section: Specification Of Local Construction Techniques Related To Building Envelopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Circular Economy for the City of Seville: The Method for Developing a Guide for a More Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism (GAUS)

et al. 2020

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The article outlines the creation of a method for the development of tools to incorporate sustainability criteria in the field of architectural design. The aim of the research is to provide society with scientific knowledge related to sustainability, evaluating the environmental impact of their actions within the building sector, in a simple and direct manner through specific and contextualised tools. A specific tool is experimentally developed for the context of Seville, called Guide for a more Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism (GAUS), in its first document, GAUS-D1. Based on national and international documentary references, the method principles are defined, and an approach is adopted that prioritises communicative actions with the aim of reaching citizens, professionals, and researchers in the building sector. The specific experiment is developed with GAUS-D1, and an initial evaluation is made of its suitability and the validity of the proposed method. The approach followed ensures that the experience of developing this type of tool is internationally transferable to any other place. Further statistical verification of the use of the tool (which implies a defined testing strategy) is necessary so that the method can be consolidated as a national and international reference.

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Bioclimatic lessons from Mediterranean vernacular architecture: The Sardinian case study

Cited by 50 publications

References 4 publications

Passive strategies used in Southern Portugal vernacular rammed earth buildings and their influence in thermal performance

Passive strategies used in Southern Portugal vernacular rammed earth buildings and their influence in thermal performance

Help from the sky: Can vultures contribute to Cystic Echinococcosis control in endemic areas?

Towards a Circular Economy for the City of Seville: The Method for Developing a Guide for a More Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism (GAUS)

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