Title: Evaluation of ecological design strategies in traditional houses in Diyarbakir, Turkey
M. Baran*, M.Yıldırım, A.Yılmaz Dicle University, Eng.
& Arch. Faculty, Dept. of Arch., 21280 Diyarbakir, Turkey
Available online 11
November 2010
I. Introduction
The traditional
houses in Diyarbakır are among the best
examples of ecological architecture: as a living organism that reduces energy
consumption, uses natural resources, and provides comfortable, healthier and
sustainable living spaces that are harmonized with the climate.
This
study focus on the ecological design between the traditional houses in Diyarbakır and their physical environment (topography, and
climate) and structural environment (building form, spatial organization, material,
landscape and planting, and technical infrastructure).
II. Ecological
design criteria
Ecological
design is sustainable systems, consistent with ecological principles, which
integrate human society with its natural environment for the benefit of both.
a. Physical
environment criteria
- Environmental
features: topography and climate (thermal condition suitability and natural conditions)
- Thermal impacts and variables affect human
comfort and will influence energy demand.
• The
changes in air movement, solar radiation and humidity determine the thermal
comfort of the users.
• With the
concern about greenhouse gases and global warming there is a pressure to use of
non-renewable energy and the impact of fossil fuels.
b. Structural
environment criteria
- In ecological design,
building systems interact with the environment through their physical
form, functional
solutions, and spatial
organization.
- Building
orientation, envelope
properties, building
material, landscape, and technical
infrastructure
all have an effect on saving energy.
III. Traditional
settlement in Diyarbakır
1. Location
Diyarbakır (37 550N, 40 120E) is located on a wide plateau
between Karacadag Mountain and the Tigris River in the Mesopotamia
part of Turkey (Fig. 1a).
The city
is surrounded by a wall 5 km in length and from 6 to 8 m height (Fig. 1b).
The settlement was completely within the wall until 1950. New
settlements later formed outside the wall, and the old texture started
to deteriorate.
2. Climatic data
Diyarbakir
city, due to its geographical location, has a continental climate regime called the
sub-tropic plateau climate.
IV. Ecological design strategies in Diyarbakır
traditional houses
1. .
Physical environment strategies
a. Topography
Diyarbakır is situated in an
area that is very compatible with ecological textures, including water, soil,
air and green spaces.
b. Climate
Generally, the
houses were constructed around a courtyard and aligned inward.
Indigenous courtyard houses, particularly those in towns and cities
in the regions of the hot-dry climates, have largely satisfied the
needs of their inhabitants from many points of view.
Therefore, the houses are exposed to less solar radiation, and heat conducted from outdoors is minimized.
Climatic features of the region led to the differentiation of houses into several parts in the planning stage.
- The summer season is very long and effective in the region, so when designing houses, the summer parts are considered in detail. The summer parts of the houses are located on south side of the courtyard, and the rooms face toward the north for protection from thermal solar radiation. The open windows provide natural ventilation as well as natural illumination. Further, the houses have a big floor area, high ceilings, and low mean thermal propagation by convection. Thus, overheating due to the greenhouse effect can be avoided by opening the window sash during the hottest
period of the day.
- The winter parts of the houses are generally built as one story and are located toward the south to protect from the cold winds from the north.
The houses are surrounded by high walls which create shade for the narrow streets and the courtyard.
2. .Structural environment strategies
a. Building form
- The
traditional Diyarbakır houses have been affected by
topography, culture, economic
level of dwellings as well
as climatic
conditions.
- The building forms were classified according to courtyard location as outer courtyard, inner courtyard and mid courtyard in the house plan.
- These forms
have two courtyards and accesses that are suitable for cultural life
and have functional uses as well.
b. Spatial organization
The houses were generally structured as two story buildings on
top of a basement and were composed of three divisions:
- Rooms
- Service spaces (kitchen, toilet, barn, bath, dovecote, pantry),
- Special spaces (cooling room, recess).
The
dimensions of rooms could be bigger or smaller for summer part rooms and winter part
rooms, respectively.All materials inside the rooms are useable materials and made of natural sources such as wool, cotton, and flax.
- Service spaces are located at the ground level for easy access, facility, storage and healthier indoor environment purposes.
- Kitchens are near winter rooms to contribute to its thermal performance and are fitted with equipment made of reusable materials like copper,wooden and earth.
- Toilets are found in the courtyard close to the street to avoid unwanted odors in the indoor environments and because the sewage system is then easily connected to the main disposal system.
- Barns and
dovecotes are economical indicators because they supply the
fertilizer required for the courtyard gardens.
- Pantries, called “killer”, are cooling spaces used for keeping food fresh daily and for keeping winter food fresh for longer times.
- The cooling rooms, also called “serdap”, are located approximately 80e100 cm below the ground level of the summer part of the houses to maintain a cool temperature.
c. Landscape and planting
Landscape and planting are effective parameters of ecological
design and are composed of a pool, a well, a pump and the green
areas that are located in the courtyards of the houses.
- Pools provide visual aesthetic and psychological relaxation to people. The pools in Diyarbakır houses are not simple pools, but they have physical properties that align with ecosystem considerations. Pool cups called “Kadeh” are located at both ends from which birds can drink water easily. Another property is that the water channels around the pools supply cooling evaporation to the courtyard environment.
- Plantations are present in all the courtyards. Trees in the plantation are usually wide leaf fruit trees (fig, mulberry) and have positive effects on human psychology, and biological diversity, and they provide micro-climatic comfort by creating shady areas in the summer and protecting the houses from cold winds in the winter, they also reduce noise level and control air pollution (Özen, 1999).
d. Building envelope (material)
Walls,
floor covering:
basalt stones
Windows :
--
shutters have exterior movable shades
--
clerestory windows : fixed sash
--
stained-glass windows have holes for venting
Roof : flat earthen
roof (important application in the
building design of hot and dry climate regions)
Other
materials : adobe, cas binder, wood and
iron
e. Technical infrastructure
Diyarbakır city has had an excellent sewage system by applying optimum
solutions which were produced for
natural resources and wastes.
V. Conclusion
The relationship and
harmony between the traditional
houses can be taken as a
good model against the architectural
understanding and
urban planning that ignores ecological designs. It
is hoped that this analysis will give architects a general understanding
of the ecological
value of the traditional heritage
and will contribute to
the search for a more sustainable method of development.
