FROM THE CHIMNEY TO THE AIR CONDITIONING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN BUILDINGS

Industrialization has changed societies radically. This paper focuses on traditional low-tech methods and techniques in Mediterranean areas that applied to create a naturally controlled interior atmosphere in buildings.
Thermal comfort is defined, as the sensation of well being of an individual, is the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment and is assessed by subjective evaluation [10]. A comfortable indoor environment is affected by air and radiant temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. Natural ventilation, which is the process of supplying and circulating air in indoor spaces, without using mechanical systems, is an important consideration in the design and construction of all buildings. Natural ventilation in and around buildings employed for the following tasks (fig. 01):

1. to provide essential air exchange for hygienic reasons
2. to cool human skin by accelerating conductive and evaporative loos when needed
3. to cool interior space when desirable
4. to cool building fabric in overheated conditions
5. to remove undesirable moisture from the building’s fabric, surfaces and moisture spaces [1]. 
   
   

A brief architectural historical review inform us that thermal comfort inside buildings was basic in the constructions of the era and the so-called today bioclimatic design principles are used since the ancient times. Humankind has used, for a very long period, natural forces to create the desired thermal environment and to adjust indoor quality. In the Mediterranean climate there are many familiar architectural features applied, from the small houses to the big building complexes, in order to maintain the humidity of the interior atmosphere and to create a good air circulation, which ensures that occupants are in comfort. There is too much to learn from the traditional architecture and the builder’s talent for fitting their buildings into the natural surroundings; applying natural technologies with simple means and techniques, creating an environmentally friendly architecture, etc. Traditional craftsmen managed to ensure the maximum comfort conditions inside the buildings, taking into consideration the climatic conditions of the region, the orientation, the openings, the vegetation, and local building materials.