Architectural Science Review

ISSN: 0003-8628 (Print) 1758-9622 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tasr20

Sustainable Greek traditional dwellings of

Cyclades

Chitrarekha Kabre

To cite this article: Chitrarekha Kabre (2015): Sustainable Greek traditional dwellings of
Cyclades, Architectural Science Review, DOI: 10.1080/00038628.2015.1082901

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00038628.2015.1082901

Published online: 20 Oct 2015.

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 ARCHITECTURAL SCIENCE REVIEW, 2015
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00038628.2015.1082901

Sustainable Greek traditional dwellings of Cyclades

Chitrarekha Kabre
Faculty of Architecture, Urban and Town Planning, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Haryana, India

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The Greek traditional dwellings of the Cyclades epitomize sustainable design principles to create opti- Received 28 November 2014
mum comfort environment. This paper evaluates specific traditional dwelling type in terms of its response Revised 8 August 2015
to climate and thermal comfort, based on passive design principles that could be adapted to cur- Accepted 11 August 2015
rent architectural practice in the area, in order to optimize the relationship between site, building KEYWORDS
and climate. This study especially deals with building envelope (walls and roofs: construction materi- Sustainable; traditional;
als, type of insulation) that demonstrate sustainable design principles. The paper discusses relevance dwelling; Cyclades; thermal
Downloaded by [North Dakota State University] at 08:39 20 November 2015

of the study in the context of the Greek legislation the Act 3661 – Measures to reduce energy con- environment
sumption of buildings; Gazette 89/19 May 2008 KENAK [Hellenic Republic. 2008. Act 3661 – Measures
to reduce energy consumption of buildings, draft rules for energy efficiency of buildings – KENAK.
http://portal.tee.gr/portal/page/portal/TEE_EVOIAS/KENAK.pdf (in Greek)]. Finally, the study is important
from the point of socio-cultural identity and regional character of the Cyclades, which are under preserva-
tion status as per law.

Introduction
The Cyclades is an island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of
the mainland of Greece. It consists of approximately 220 islands
of varying sizes, of which 24 are inhabited. The word Cyclades
is derived from the ancient Greek word, Kyklos, which means cir-
cle. The islands were given this name because they roughly circle
the island of Delos, which is the sacred birth place and shrine
of the god Apollo. The islands are peaks of a submerged moun-
tainous terrain, with the exception of two volcanic islands, Milos
and Santorini (Thira). The city of Ermoupolis, in Syros island, is
the main town and administrative centre of the Cyclades islands.
The total area of the Cyclades is approximately 2572 km2 , whose
population is 1,12,615 as per 2001 census and density is 46/km2 .
“The masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought
together in light” was the comment of Le Corbusier on the
regional architecture of settlements in the insular complex of
Cyclades, Figure 1.
The traditional dwellings of the Cyclades is a remarkable phe-
nomenon, because it is an appropriate architectural and tech-
nological response to the local context and subtropical climate
of Mediterranean region for providing summer and winter com-
fort. The traditional houses of the Cyclades form a significant
cultural heritage and have been under preservation status since
1970. Greek traditional architecture was studied in general by
Pelekanos (1986) and Coch (1996) and the traditional architec-
ture of Cyclades was studied by Siatitsa and Exarchoy (2005).
Stasinopoulos (2013) introduced a systematic approach based
on the “Four elements” concept (fire, water, earth and air) for
qualitative study of traditional architecture of Santorini islands,
Greece. The only quantitative study involving field measurement
of temperatures was carried out by Sinou (2006), comparing
thermal environment of traditional and contemporary dwellings
in the Cyclades.
There is a growing energy-demand pattern as consequence
of both increased tourism and economic growth in Cyclades
(Mihalakakou et al. 2002). CRES and DAFNI (2012) have pre-
pared Sustainable Energy Action Plan 2020 for Cyclades. Besides
using renewable energy sources, the employment of bioclimatic
buildings techniques and technologies in the Cyclades could
address the continuously increasing future energy demands.
The Greek legislation the Act 3661 – Measures to reduce energy
consumption of buildings; Gazette 89/19 May 2008 KENAK
(Hellenic Republic 2008) was introduced in line with the Direc-
tive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
of 16 December 2002. According to new legislation, the coun-
try is divided into four climatic zones depending on the Degree
Days for Heating. The Cyclades falls in zone A. The new legis-
lation describes maximum permitted rates of thermal transmit-
tance (U) values for building components wall ≤ 0.7 W/m2 K, roof
≤ 0.5 W/m2 K, floor ≤ 2.0 W/m2 K and openings ≤ 3.85 W/m2 K
for the zone A. However, massive walls and roofs in the tradi-
tional houses do not meet the requirement of maximum permit-
ted U values of the Greek legislation, but creates a stable environ-
ment due to mass effect, high time lag and low decrement factor
(Koenigsberger et al. 1974).
The architectural community has had a strong and continuing
interest in traditional and vernacular architecture. This has been
rekindled by the need to develop an architecture that works
with climate, rather than against it, to create more sustainable
buildings (Weber and Yannas 2013). Most earlier research and

CONTACT Chitrarekha Kabre crekha969@gmail.com

© 2015 Taylor & Francis

 2 C. KABRE
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Figure 1. Panoramic views of an island of the Cyclades.
Source: Available at http://www.kohls-ic.com/en/county.php?countyval = Paros462413353
existing publications on traditional architecture have followed
qualitative approach. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap
in the research of the traditional architecture of Cyclades. The
environmental performance of the traditional house is investi-
gated holistically and quantitatively. The study is significant in
the context of the insulation regulations in Greece.
The term “bioclimatic architecture” was coined by Olgyay
(1963) and the process of building a climate-balanced house is
divided into four steps: study of climate, human biology, tech-
nology and lastly architectural expression, with a strong advo-
cacy of architectural regionalism. In many ways, Olgyay can be
considered as an important progenitor of what we now call
“sustainable architecture” (Szokolay 2008). Bioclimatic design
is concerned with the layout of the building (orientation in
relation to sun and wind, aspect ratio), the site planning (the
spacing), the air movement, the openings (size, position and
protection) and the building envelope (walls, roofs, construc-
tion materials and type of insulation). The hypothesis of the
research is that optimum environment is the one with the most
stable conditions within the comfort zone. Bioclimatic design
strategies are effective for “envelope-dominated” structures; this
paper, therefore, evaluates thermal behaviour of building enve-
lope (walls and roofs: construction materials, type of insula-
tion). This research follows four steps to analyse the climate-
balanced house of Cyclades: study of climate, human biology,
building technology and architectural expression. Bibliographic
research is used for the presentation of the general data of
the traditional dwellings of Cyclades: climate, thermal comfort,
the buildings’ form, typology and technology. Finally, admit-
tance procedure is used to evaluate thermal environment of
a typical house and its variation during hottest and coldest
months.
Climate
All the islands of Cyclades have Mediterranean climate. The
islands can be differentiated into two groups with similar cli-
matic data: The Central and South Cyclades (Folegandros, Paros,
Milos, Kimlos, Sifnos, Serifos, Syros, Myconos, Naksos, Amor-
gos, Anafi, Thera, Ios and Sikinos); North Cyclades (Kythnos, Kea,
Andros and Tinos). Table 1 presents the climatic data of Milos
island.
The peak summer months, July and August, are warm with
the maximum and minimum air temperature being 28.8°C and
21.2°C, respectively. The summer monthly averaged specific
humidity is 13.965 g/kg, creating intensely uncomfortable con-
ditions. The peak winter months, January and February, are mild
with maximum and minimum air temperature noted as 12.9°C
and 8.5°C, respectively. The winter monthly averaged specific
humidity is 6.497 g/kg; Precipitation is very low; the annual aver-
age rainfall in the Milos island is 411 mm. Sky conditions vary
between cloudy and clear skies; cloud cover is 67.5% in Decem-
ber and 13.6% in July. Winds are mostly local, strong coastal
winds, caused by the unequal heating and cooling of land and
sea surfaces. The prevailing wind direction is north since around
one-third of time wind blows from the north, and secondary
wind direction is the northeast.
Algorithms to calculate hourly ambient air temperature
and solar radiation
The hourly variation of the ambient temperature is generated
from the available monthly mean maximum and the mini-
mum data, using the algorithm of ASHRAE (2009, Chapter 14,
Section 14.11). The assumption underlying this algorithm is that
the temperature follows sinusoidal pattern, with the maximum
temperature occurring at 15 h and minimum at 5 h. The hourly
variations are calculated by using the formula
tn = tmax − tdiff .wn , (1)
where tdiff = tmax – tmin, tmax is the maximum mean monthly
temperature, tmin is the minimum mean monthly temperature
and wn is the weightage factor given by ASHRAE.
The instantaneous hemispherical insolation Īh (total of direct
and diffuse) on a horizontal surface for all months is calculated by
applying conversion factor rh to the available long-term average
 ARCHITECTURAL SCIENCE REVIEW 3

Table 1. Monthly climatic data of Milos island, Cyclades, Greece.

Latitude N 37° 43
Longitude E 24° 27
Altitude 180 m
Climate Type Köppen “Cfa”
Months January February March April May June July August September October November December Year
Mean sunshine hoursa 124 128 178 233 285 311 353 338 269 196 149 122 223.8
Cloud cover (%)b 62.9 62.6 57.9 50.7 41.5 21.7 13.6 15.0 24.7 44.6 62.7 67.5 43.7
Solar irradiation daily avg. (Wh/m2 )
Globala 2020 2720 3910 5710 6240 7010 7010 6370 5200 3560 2310 1740 4483
Diffusea 1090 1590 1940 2270 2730 2630 2480 2250 1810 1630 1280 1010 1893
Mean Relative humidity (%)b 67.0 66.6 67.4 68.4 68.8 66.6 65.6 65.9 65.6 66.9 68.3 67.9 67.1
Mean Absolute Humidity (g/kg)b 6.49 6.24 6.79 8.07 10.08 12.23 13.64 13.97 12.27 10.37 8.63 7.14 9.7
Air temperature (°C)
Maxm.(DBT)a 12.9 13.2 15 18.2 23.1 27 28.8 28.1 25.4 21.6 17.9 14.9 20.5
Minm.(DBT)a 8.5 8.4 9.5 11.9 15.5 19.2 21.2 21.2 18.8 15.7 12.8 10.1 14.4
Mean (DBT) 10.7 10.8 12.3 15.1 19.3 23.1 25.0 24.7 22.1 18.7 15.4 12.5 17.5
Thermal Neutrality 20.9 20.9 21.4 22.3 23.6 24.8 25.4 25.2 24.5 23.4 22.4 21.5 23.0
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Upper limit 23.4 23.4 23.9 24.8 26.1 27.3 27.9 27.7 27.0 25.9 24.9 24.0 25.0
Lower limit 18.4 18.4 18.9 19.8 21.1 22.3 22.9 22.7 22.0 20.9 19.9 19.0 21.0
Precipitation (mm)a 75 51 47 21 13 3 0 1 6 43 61 90 411
Wind Speed (m/s)a 8.4 8.6 7.4 6.0 4.7 4.4 6.1 6.4 6.2 6.9 6.9 7.8 6.7
Wind Directionb 42 62 42 194 42 46 46 46 46 62 42 42 50
HDD base 18°Cb 163 165 148 69 9 0 0 0 0 8 52 125 739
CDD base 18°Cb 0 0 0 5 51 152 222 232 161 77 15 0 915

a Meteonorm software v. 6.1.

b https://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/sse/grid.cgi?email = skip@larc.nasa.gov.
 4 C. KABRE
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Figure 2. Psychrometric chart delineating winter and summer comfort zones overlaid with climate of twelve months for Milos island (Analysis by B.Arch. graduate
Mr Kapil Grover).
daily total irradiation on a horizontal surface H̄h (Collares-Pereira
and Rabl 1979).
Īh = rh × H̄h ,
Similarly, standard algorithms are used to calculate the
instantaneous hemispherical insolation on vertical surfaces for
all months.
Human biology: thermal comfort
Thermal comfort is that condition of mind that expresses its
satisfaction with the thermal environment (ASHRAE 2009). A
study sponsored by American Society for Heating, Refriger-
ating and Air-conditioning Engineers (de Dear, Brager, and
Cooper 1997) compiled an extensive database from past field
studies to study, develop, and test adaptive models (psycho-
physiological), an empirical model of thermal perception. In gen-
eral, the value of using an adaptive model to specify set points
or guide temperature control strategies is likely to increase the
freedom that occupants are given to adapt throughout the
year (e.g. by having flexible working hours, locations, or dress
codes).
The term “thermal neutrality” refers to a specific value of
the indoor thermal environmental index (e.g. operative tem-
perature) corresponding to a mean thermal sensation vote of
zero on the seven-point scale (i.e. “neutral”). This study would
use the regression equation given by Auliciems (1982) correlat-
ing thermal neutrality (tn ) and mean monthly outdoor Dry Bulb
Temperature (tm ):
(2)
tn = 17.6 + 0.31.tm , (3)
Although there are different opinions about the lowest and
highest limits of neutrality, this study uses the neutrality limits
given by Auliciems: 18 < tn < 28°C. The width of the comfort
zone is taken 5 K for naturally ventilated environment for 90%
acceptability (Szokolay 2008, 20). Figure 2 presents summer and
winter comfort zones overlaid with 12 months climate. In win-
ter, passive solar heating is useful and thermal mass is required
to reduce heat losses and lower the indoor average tempera-
ture, though temperature swings are less critical in this season.
In summer, solar protection is required to avoid increase in the
average indoor temperature and thermal mass (relatively heavy
construction) to reduce thermal swings.
Building technology
The traditional settlements in Cyclades are characterized by lin-
ear series of row houses arranged either in a polygon leaving
an internal space as in Antiparos and Kimolos or along narrow
paved streets on slopes of mountain as in Kastros in Siphnos
and Pyros in Santorini. Two specific types of houses have been
identified in the traditional settlement of Kastros (Sinou 2006)
and Andros (Zacharopoulos 2004). The first type is referred to

as “one-unit” house, deep rectangular plan house, the width is
less than 3 m and the length varies from 6 to 12 m. The house
has two rooms separated by a wall; the front living room is big-
ger than the back sleeping room. The second type of houses is
formed by the union of two or more one-unit houses. The set-
tlement developed within limited space; the houses, therefore,
expanded vertically and became two or three storey.
Walls and roofs
The traditional houses in the Cyclades use natural and locally
available materials. The materials are reusable and recyclable
(Bougiatioti, Oikonomou, and Evangelinos, 2009). Structural
stones are reused in new construction. Natural and organic
materials such as reeds and sea weeds are fully biodegradable.
The walls, approximately 600–900 mm, are built from locally
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quarried schist or slate, bound with a fine-earth sieved mortar
or cement mortar and they are usually plastered, inside and out.
The floors of the ground level houses are also constructed with
slate stone slabs on the soil or over the stone vaults of the base-
ment, while the upper floors are made of timber. The generalized
use of flat roof is mainly due to scarcity of rainwater and the need
for its efficient collection. However, the use of materials in con-
struction differs according to the island. In islands with wood
availability, the flat roof sub-structure is constructed from wood,
whereas in islands with scarcity of structural wood , the wooden
elements are minimized and are replaced by built elements, such
as stone arcs (volta) in the middle of spaces, and slate. The sub-
structure is first covered either with reeds or with schist tiles or
both. A second layer of 30 mm of seaweed is used as insulation,
while a third layer of 12 mm of volcanic argil or kourasani (a plas-
ter of crushed bricks or tiles with some sand) acts as vapour
barrier. The exterior surfaces of high thermal capacity walls and
roofs of houses in the Cyclades are all white-washed with olive
oil as highly reflective useful in reducing the heat load during the
day-time.
Openings
The solar heat gain, the direction of wind and the daylight are
the governing factors in deciding the size and orientation of
openings. As the air temperature marginally (summer) reaches
above the upper comfort limit and mean absolute humidity is
also above the comfort limit of 12 g/kg in July and August, phys-
iological cooling by air movement would be useful only during
these 2 months, whereas during remaining months strong north
winds are to be avoided. The strong light also created the need
for shelter with lower light levels. The very small openings in
the southern façade of the Cyclades residence are, therefore,
useful to control solar heat gain but do not provide adequate
ventilation and daylight (Figure 3).
Space use
In addition, the single most powerful tool used in traditional
houses was the willingness and the ability of the occupants
to organize daily activities in space and time so that comfort
is achieved by optimizing space use. In summer verandas or
ARCHITECTURAL SCIENCE REVIEW 5
Figure 3. Small openings in traditional houses.
shaded courtyards are full of people having their lunch, cook-
ing, drinking their coffee on the afternoon or even sleeping there
during the night, enjoying the cool night breeze. In winter day,
the terraces are filled with women doing the laundry for the
house and getting advantage of the sun, to dry the clothes. Peo-
ple will be sitting on the entrance steps of the house, conversing
with their neighbour opposite the narrow street. In the winter
night, the family gathers around the main-central room of the
house, which may have a fireplace to heat the place and warm
the atmosphere.
Methodology: prediction of thermal performance
The research employs a calculation method to predict thermal
performance of alternative solutions to traditional built form
(roof). When estimates are to be made of indoor temperatures
for human occupation, it is neither possible nor desirable to
attempt high accuracy: uncertain assumptions have to be made
for some of the physical parameters needed, the weather is
variable, patterns of usage differ widely, individuals differ in
their choice of conditions and some space and time variation in
indoor temperature is generally welcomed (Davies 2004, pref-
ace, xv).
There are essentially two approaches to calculate the periodic
thermal response of buildings (Milbank and Harrington-Lynn
1974), which has proponents in different parts of the world. In
their more sophisticated forms, the two solutions give similar
results to given design problems.
Numerical approach
A number of numerical methods available are for solving the
transient conduction equations, of which the response factor
method and finite difference method are the most widely used
in energy calculations. For use in design, it is common to feed
this type of program with the same sequence of weather data for
several days until the model reaches a stable condition. In other
words, the hourly temperature and energy requirements are the
same from day to day. The “response factor” method is adopted
by the ASHRAE (1972).
Finite difference method treats storage effects by dividing the
building structure into a number of layers, and calculating the
temperature or energy distributions at selected time intervals.
The exterior and interior temperature variations are modelled
with piecewise linear functions.
 6 C. KABRE

Analytical or harmonic approach
The transient conduction equations are solved analytically in
building thermal energy calculation with a periodic temperature
boundary condition on one side of the slab and a constant tem-
perature boundary condition on the other side. Therefore, this
approach is called the “harmonic” solution. This approach gives
the temperature or energy pattern for a building, assuming it has
reached the stable, or equilibrium, state for some given cycle of
weather and usage. The “admittance” procedure, developed by
Danter (1960) and adopted by the IHVE (Guide, 1970), is typical
of this type of solution. It is a comprehensive procedure without
the complications of harmonics other than that of period 24 h
and with only reference to time lag. The admittance procedure
has the advantage that it is very simple to carry out and it would
be appropriate for the climatic data available for this study.
The study includes a preliminary analysis of the thermal envi-
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solid elements, Q̃gc is air-to-air conduction through glass, Q̃v is
ventilation gain and Q̃i is Internal gain.
This deviationin heat gain is either dissipated through ventila-
tion or stored in the fabric. The rate of heat entry into construc-
tional elements is the admittance (Y) and for the whole space,

the area-weighted total admittance: (A.Y). From this, the devi-
ation in internal environmental temperature at time θ can be
found as
Q̃θ
T̃e(θ) =  . (9)
(AY) + Cv

ronment of a typical house with the use of “admittance proce-

dure” of the UK Building Research Establishment (CIBSE 1999)
and Milbank and Herrington-Lynn (1974). It is based on the cal-
culation of the 24 h mean heat flow through an element (Markus
and Morris 1980; Szokolay 1983)
Q̄ = AU(Ts − Ti ) (4)
(where Ts is the 24-hour mean sol-air temperature of the outside
surface and T i , the indoor temperature, is taken as constant), fol-
lowed by calculation of the deviation from this mean for each
hour θ :
Q̃ = A.U.μ(Ts(θ−∅) − Ts ) (5)
where µ denotes decrement factor; ϕ is the time lag and Ts(θ−∅) Figure 4. Model of a typical traditional house (dimensions in mm).
is the sol-air temperature of surface ϕ hours previously.
In the actual method, T e (environmental temperature) is used
rather than T i and it is the unknown.
The heat flow due to air temperature difference, over the
24 h cycle, is taken as zero. Thus in the absence of other gains
T̄e = T̄o (where T e is indoor environmental temperature and T o
is outdoor air temperature). The “extra” gains are then calculated
as
Q̄ = Q̄s + Q̄g + Q̄i , (6)
i.e. the solar excess gain through solid elements + solar gains
through glass + internal gains. This “extra” must be dissipated
by conduction and ventilation, driven by the T̄e − T̄o differential.
From this the mean indoor environmental temperature can be
found:
Q̄
T̄e = T̄o +  , (7)
(AU) + Cv
where Cv represents “ventilation conductance” (W/m2 °C), for
small ventilation rates taken as Cv = c.ρ.v = 1200 v = 0.33 N.V.
c is the specific heat capacity, ρ is the density of air, v is the rate
of ventilation in cu. m/sec, N is the number of air changes per
hour and V is the volume of room.
In the next step, the deviation from the mean heat gain rate
at time θ is calculated (Q̃θ ), as a sum of all component heat flows.
Q̃θ = Q̃s + Q̃g + Q̃sc + Q̃gc + Q̃v + Q̃i , (8)
where Q̃s is solar gain through opaque elements, Q̃g is solar gain
through glass for radiation, Q̃sc is air-to-air conduction through Figure 5. Street view of traditional row houses of Cyclades.
 ARCHITECTURAL SCIENCE REVIEW 7

Sol-air temperature where

A precise definition of sol-air temperature is:
the equivalent outdoor temperature that will cause the same rate
of heat flow at the surface and the same temperature distribution
through the material, as results from the out-door air temperature
and the net radiation exchange between the surface and its environ-
ment. (Rao and Ballantyne 1970)
The sol-air temperature is given as
1 at outside air temperature and the outside environment
tsa = toa + (Ig α− ∈ Il ),
fo
tsa is the sol-air temperature °C; toa is the Outdoor air tem-
perature °C; Ig is the total solar radiation (direct + diffuse)
incident on the surface (W/m2 ); α is the absorptance of the
material for short wave or solar radiation; fo is the outside
film or surface conductance (W/m2 K); ∈ is the emittance
of surface, for low temperature radiation usually taken as
0.9 for most building surfaces, but only 0.05–0.2 for low
emittance surfaces such as polished metals and Il is the
net long wave radiation exchange between a black body
(10)
(W/m2 ).

Table 2. Thermal properties of flat roofs. (dimensions in mm).

Roof sections Resistance Conductivity Density Specific heat
(all dimensions in cm) Layer (m2 K/W) (W/m K) (Kg/m3 ) (J/kg*K)
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Case 1: Outside film 0.04a

(1) White wash
(2) Argil 0.01875 0.8c 1300c 880d
(3) Volcanic earth 0.01333 0.9c 3000c 840d
(4) Sea weed 0.79787 0.0376b 55b 1050d
(5) Schist tiles 0.0125 3.2c 2200c 921c
(6) Reeds 0.44444 0.09a 270a 1300d
Inside film 0.14a
Performance U-value Dec.fact Time lag Admittance
(W/m2 K) (h) (W/m2 K)
0.68 0.39 5.61 2.92
Case 2:
Outside film 0.04a
(1) White wash
(2) Argil 0.01875 0.8c 1300c 880d
(3) Volcanic earth 0.01333 0.9c 3000c 840d
(4) Sea weed 0.79787 0.0376b 55b 1050d
(5) Reeds 0.44444 0.09a 270a 1300d
Inside film 0.14a
Performance U-value Dec.fact Time lag Admittance
(W/m2 K) (h) (W/m2 K)
0.69 0.88 2.67 2.90
Case 3:
Outside film 0.04a
(1) White wash
(2) Argil 0.01875 0.8c 1300c 880d
(3) Volcanic earth 0.01333 0.9c 3000c 840d
(4) Sea weed 0.79787 0.0376b 55b 1050d
(5) Schist tiles 0.0125 3.2c 2200c 921c
Inside film 0.14a
Performance U-value Dec.fact Time lag Admittance
(W/m2 K) (h) (W/m2 K)
0.98 0.88 2.73 2.82
Case 4:
Outside film 0.04a
(1) Cement render 0.02353 0.85c 1000c 1047c
(2) Bitumen 0.006 0.50e 1700e 1000e
(3) Polystyrene 0.85714 0.035c 2800c 1507c
(4) Reinforced concrete 0.02353 0.85c 1000c 1047c
(5) Cement render 0.14a
Inside film
Performance U-value Dec.fact Time lag Admittance
(W/m2 K) (h) (W/m2 K)
0.84 0.17 12.46 3.12

Note: The values shown in bold are derived from the thermo-physical properties of roof materials. These values are used in calculating thermal performance of roofs.
a CIBS (1980).
b Pedersen and Ransby (2008).
c Papadopoulos (2008).
d Assumed values.
e BIS (1987).
 8 C. KABRE

The term (tsa – toa ) is often referred to as “sol-air excess” where m = cloud cover in oktas; m ranges from 0 to 8
temperature, especially in British literature. Although there is (m = 0 denotes clear sky; m = 8 denotes completely overcast
abundant literature on precise computation of the term Il , the sky).
degree of accuracy depends on the availability of data on sky The recommended value is −4 K by ASHRAE (2009 Chap-
cover and other atmospheric factors. A reasonable approxima- ter 18, Section 18.23), if seasonal variation in cloud cover is
tion was proposed by Loudon (1968) at BRS. For a horizontal accounted.
surface, ∈ . Il may be taken as 95 W/m2 for a cloudless sky, 15
for an overcast sky, and intermediate values proportional to the
cloud amount for partially clouded skies. Therefore, Evaluation-thermal environment
A single-unit house 3 m wide, 6 m long and 3 m high is cho-
m sen, Figure 4, as it is the basic type of house that is most com-
Î.Il = 95 − (95 − 15) ∗ , (11)
8 monly found in the traditional settlements of the Cyclades and
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Figure 6. Environmental temperatures in the coldest month (February) and hottest month (July).

Figure 7. Monthly total energy consumption in a house in Cyclades parametric run for four roof variations. Source: eQuest software.

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Figure 8. Field measure of temperature of traditional and contemporary houses in Cyclades (Sinou 2006).
this basic unit is used in multiples for making bigger houses
(Sinou 2006). Figure 5 presents a street view of traditional houses
of the Cyclades.
The aim of the thermal analysis is to obtain a representative
picture of the passive thermal behaviour of the house, mainly
its behaviour without active heating systems (fire places, bra-
ziers, etc.) during the period that the house is on a free-running
regime. Number of air changes is presumed to be two per hour
and occupancy of two people is taken.
For thermal analysis, four variations are constructed and anal-
ysed, in order to represent the different roofs since the roof is
by far the most important, as it receives the greatest amount
of solar radiation during day-time. Thermal properties, air-to-
air thermal transmittance U-value, decrement factor time lag
and admittance are calculated for four roofs (three traditional
and one contemporary) (Table 2). All the external walls (south
and north) are constructed with stone (thickness: 60 cm, U-value:
2.47 W/m2 K, time lag: 12.5 h, decrement factor: 0.10, admittance:
5.84 W/m2 K).
The first variation of roof is constructed with both reeds and
slate tiles, the second one with only reeds, the third one is only
schist tiles, while for the fourth variation 20 cm Reinforced Con-
crete (RC) roof is assumed with stone walls. In the first three
variations, traditional insulation materials (sea weed and vol-
canic earth) are used, which is plastered and white-washed. In
the fourth variation, polystyrene (thickness: 10 mm) is topped
with bitumen and cement render. In all four variations, the
model had southern orientation, and east and west walls are
unexposed.
In case of three different variations of traditional roofs, cases
1, 2 and 3, the U-value ranges between 0.68 and 0.98 W/m2 K, the
time lag ranges between 2.67 and 5.61 h and the decrement fac-
tor ranges between 0.39 and 0.88. While as in case of RC roof
the U-value is 0.84 W/m2 K, time lag is the highest (12.61 h) and
decrement factor is the lowest (0.17).
Analysis
The results of the thermal analysis indicate that the combination
of high mass shell construction with small openings (0.3 × 0.3 m
ARCHITECTURAL SCIENCE REVIEW 9
for two windows and 1 × 2.1 m for the door) enclosing a high
volume room resulted in an indoor environmental temperature
fluctuations following the outdoor air temperature with small
time lag but reduced amplitude. For winter month, the envi-
ronmental temperature shows that the diurnal range is very
small (1 K, from 13.8°C to 14.6°C) for two traditional roofs (cases
1 and 2), while as the third traditional roof using schist tiles
(case 3) is slightly hotter (by 0.5 K). It is interesting to note
that the diurnal range of the outdoor air is 4.8 K (from 8.4°C
to 13.2°C).
For a summer month with outdoor air temperature is fluc-
tuating between 21.2°C and 28.8°C (range of 7.6 K), the respec-
tive indoor environmental temperature presents a small diurnal
range of less than 2 K (from 28.8°C to 30.6° C) for traditional
roofs (cases 1 and 2), while as the third traditional roof (case 3)
is slightly hotter (by 0.5 K), Figure 6.
During both the seasons, the RC roof in combination with tra-
ditional massive stone walls (case 4) shows the lowest swings
of temperature in comparison to traditional roofs. However, the
contemporary RC roof in combination with the brick walls does
not create stable environment (Sinou 2006). This shows that the
wall is as important as roof in creating stable environment in the
traditional houses.
The model predicts indoor temperature in terms of Environ-
mental temperature, which is a combination of air tempera-
ture and radiant temperature. The environmental temperature
is found out of the comfort limits, the overheating occurs by 2 K
in summer and the underheating is of the order of 3 K in win-
ter. This is ameliorated by passive means, by natural ventilation
in summers and solar heating in day-time in winter. However, in
winter nights, active heating becomes inevitable.
Further, to validate the above results, parametric runs were
made with eQuest software to find monthly energy consump-
tion (cooling and heating) for all the above four roof varia-
tions and compared with the roof having U-value of 0.5 W/m2 K,
which is prescribed for Cyclades as per new legislation (Figure 7).
The results are also comparable with the field measure-
ment of temperatures done by Sinou (2006) in the month
of June in traditional and contemporary houses in Cyclades
(Figure 8).
 10 C. KABRE
Conclusion
By analysing the overall environmental performance of three
variations of traditional roof construction (U-values 0.68, 0.69,
0.98 W/m2 K) of Cyclades in relation to the contemporary con-
crete roof (U-value 0.84 W/m2 K) and prescribed U-value of the
new legislation, it can be concluded that in the past, the local
masons, with the basic knowledge, accumulated experiences
and limited resources, built their dwellings to perform nat-
urally and effectively throughout the year. What principally
improved their comfort conditions was the massive construc-
tion using locally available materials, passive solar strategies and
adaptive thermal comfort. However, contemporary and reno-
vated buildings no longer use the traditional construction meth-
ods. Through the investigation of the traditional architecture
of Cyclades, it is evident that some of the construction tech-
niques can be selectively re-used in architectural design and
Downloaded by [North Dakota State University] at 08:39 20 November 2015
the naturally available sea weeds can be re-introduced to mod-
ern living to reduce global energy consumption in the domes-
tic sector. The Greek legislation the Act 3661 – Measures to
reduce energy consumption of buildings; Gazette 89/19 May
2008 KENAK (Hellenic Republic 2008) may prescribe insulation
requirement based on performance of indigenous and innova-
tive construction techniques.
Further research should include a detailed survey-documen-
tation of all existing building types, in situ environmental mea-
surements and detailed computer-based analysis.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
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