Laura Balaguer

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify and characterise bioclimatic strategies of traditional earthen architecture in a specific territory, the Valencian region of La Serranía. These constructions were built in relation to their surrounding geography or climate through several mechanisms facing the action of solar radiation, water, wind, etc. Design/methodology/approach: The research methodology is based on a comparative analysis of selected case studies representing the constructions and typologies of traditional earthen heritage in a territory with similar geography and climate, albeit with certain zonal limitations. Findings: The results show that these constructions built with earth offer a global solution to environmental conditioning factors of the region by a series of strategies formalised at urban, architectural and constructive level, either independently or jointly. Although climate variations affect its behaviour, traditional earthen architecture seeks compactness to reach indoor comfort. Originality/value: Traditional earthen architecture is a valuable heritage in danger which has been devaluated until several years in this remote region. Therefore, prior knowledge of its bioclimatic strategies and formal constitution is essential to establishing heritage intervention criteria and proposals adapted to its geographical, socio-cultural and socio-economic context.

The constructive solutions characteristic of vernacular architecture are the result of the convergence of geographical, cultural and climatic factors that bring about constructions characterised by adaptation to their surroundings. However, at present, Spanish regulations do not contemplate the properties of traditional materials, such as those found in earthen constructions, whose great thermal inertia is ignored despite their thermal gains and compensations. Given these limitations, the purpose of this study is to assess the thermal behaviour of traditional earthen architecture adjusting to its real performance and original surroundings. This work thus examines a methodology to assess the thermal behaviour of rammed earth walls based on on-site data specifically collected in the summer in a case study located in La Serranía, a region in the northwest of the province of Valencia (Spain). The results show the evolution of exterior and interior surface temperatures of the earthen wall, quantifying its variation frequency and thermal energy transmission. Based on these data, the thermal transmittance of the wall is calculated and compared to highlight the difference from the normalised value, showing that a review of the Spanish regulations applied to earthen architecture is needed.