TRADITIONAL 

RURAL HOUSES IN SERBIA –
THERMAL PERFORMANCES AND 
POTENTIALS FOR ENERGY RETROFIT

Dr Ana Radivojević
Associate Professor
Faculty of Architecture, University of Belgrade
 BASIC MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN SERBIA
 existing traditional rural houses
in Serbia date from the time
before the World War Two
 extinction of traditional
building techniques gradually
started by the mid of the 20th
century
 general characteristics of the
rural houses depended on
natural and climatic conditions
in Serbia
 typological diversity regarding:
 spatial and formative
characteristics
 structures and materials used
in the constructions
BASIC MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN SERBIA
NORTH / VOJVODINA – RAMMED EARTH HOUSES
BASIC MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN SERBIA
NORTH / VOJVODINA – RAMMED EARTH HOUSES

Typical cross section schemes with heated areas marked

Typical spatial organization schemes with heated areas marked

BASIC MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN SERBIA
WEST AND CENTRAL REGIONS – LOG CABINS
BASIC MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN SERBIA
WEST AND CENTRAL REGIONS – LOG CABINS

Typical cross section schemes with heated areas marked

Typical spatial organization schemes with heated areas marked

 BASIC MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN SERBIA
EAST & SOUTH-EAST REGIONS – HALF-TIMBERED (BONDRUK) STYLE
HOUSES
 BASIC MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN SERBIA
EAST & SOUTH-EAST REGIONS – HALF-TIMBERED (BONDRUK) STYLE
HOUSES

Typical cross section schemes with heated areas marked

Typical spatial organization schemes with heated areas marked

THE STATE OF PRESERVATION OF TRADITIONAL RURAL
HOUSES IN SERBIA

 serious problem of Serbian rural

areas – depopulation

 consequently – general negligence

towards the traditional rural
houses:
 mostly abandoned and left to the
effects of the march of time
 when they are still in use (typical for
houses that belong to the people of
poor financial state) – they keep their
original form but maintenance is not
always adequate
 Inadequate thermal comfort – one of the main
problems of traditional houses!

 rarely, traditional houses are “improved” by

their owners – in the most of the cases in an
unacceptable way:
 regarding preservation of their authenticity
 regarding the compatibility of the applied
contemporary materials (possible problems with
vapor diffusion and condensation due to the use
of vapor sealed materials)
 PRESENCE OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN
NOWADAYS SERBIAN HOUSING STOCK

 the 2011 national Census

show that about 10% of
total dwellings in Serbia
were built prior to 1945
 the majority of these houses
are freestanding family
houses, predominantly from
rural areas – i.e. many of
them represent traditional
rural houses (especially
those built before 1919)
 end of 2011 - adoption of
new Regulations on Energy
Efficiency of Buildings
 energy efficiency comes into
the focus of the present
building practice in Serbia
 Research project:
Energy Efficiency of Buildings - Assessment of Energy
Performances of the Serbian Building Stock
Specific Heating Energy demand per year (by building type per period)

Building type  Σ 
1  2  3  4  5 
MWh/year 
A ‐ before  2317797  512229  38064  21129  52988  2942206 
1919 
B ‐ 1919‐1945  3402572  284831  196427  75299  272583  4231713 
 
 Research project:
Energy Efficiency of Buildings - Assessment of Energy
Performances of the Serbian Building Stock
 Research project:
Energy Efficiency of
Buildings - Assessment
of Energy Performances
of the Serbian Building
Stock

 energy improvement
measures
investigated within
the research:
two levels of potential
improvement of energy
efficiency of buildings:
 standard measures
 enhanced measures
 QUESTION – What would be more appropriate and
more realistic measures for thermal renovation of
traditional houses?

 pilot investigation was performed on

the effects of certain “passive
measures” for thermal renovation of
a traditional house

 experimental model-building was

created, based on building principles
of one-storey bondruk style
traditional house containing 3 rooms
and a porch
QUESTION – What would be more appropriate and
more realistic measures for thermal renovation of
traditional houses?

 “passive measures”
 addition of layer of, preferably natural, thermo insulation, in the
zone of a ceiling structure, above those spaces where such
structure existed
 addition of preferably natural, thermo insulation, in the zone of
wooden floor structure towards the unheated cellar
 insertion of additional, inner casement window, which basically
did not exist in traditional rural houses (it should be made of
wood, with thermo-insulating glazing)
 adequate interventions on walls - the problem of authenticity!
(measures should be applied on the inner side of a wall and with
caution when choosing the exact thermo insulating material –
preferably natural, i.e. reed)
Model-building – presumed elements of
thermal envelope and their thermal
properties
 MODEL-BUILDING
Efficiency of applied energy improvement
measures
1. Walls 2. Windows 3. Door 4. Ceiling 5. Floor Qh/A
Intervention type
old new old new old new old new old new [kWh/m2]
357.6
No intervention ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎
(100%)
Type 1 273.8
∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎
window (76.6%)
Type 2 231.5
∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎
window + ceiling (64.7%)
Type 3 216.0
∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎
window+ceiling + floor (60.4)
Type 4 167.0
∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎
window+ceiling + floor + wall (46.7%)

400

350

300

250
kWh/m2

200

150 Qh/A
100

50

0
original type 1 type 2 type 3 type 4
structure
Type of intervention
 Problem of determination of thermal
properties of traditional materials
 in practice, there is a significant diversity of applied building materials and
structures
 determination of their exact thermal properties is a complex problem!
 Problem of determination of thermal
properties of traditional materials

Thermal  traditional building materials are not

Type of (traditional) conductivity
building material λ standardized!
naturally wet soil
[W/mK]
1.535
 difficult to define precise thermal
greasy loam and by- products 0.688 properties even for the same type of
loam with straw
light loam
0.518
0.344
the material or a building technique
armour of loam- straw wattles 0.344  variations regarding the thickness, number
and sequence of layers
 Further investigations

1. field investigation, identification and systematization of

the exact structure of building elements of traditional
houses
2. measuring and identification of thermal properties of
applied materials and structures
3. proposition of adequate/compatible thermal
improvement measures (preferably “passive ones”)
based on the real/exact characteristics of traditional
houses (transition from the general to the particular)