ENERGY EFFICIENCY FEATURES IN ITALIAN AND SPANISH TRADITIONAL DWELLINGS

The Mediterranean basin shows multiple examples of urban nuclei and architectural individualities which, while modifying morphological and formal structure, maintained a close relation with their place, nature, climate or local traditions, with a coherence of language and identity. Traditional agglomerations used unique mechanisms in guaranteeing energy profit, thanks to valuable architectural strategies. These energy efficiency features were capable to produce settlement quality appropriate to Mediterranean context and to affect the energy-environmental behaviour of the settlements through some significant factors (compactness, proportions, shape relationships, exposure). By starting from the analysis of the role of vernacular production in the sustainable network, the contribution analyzes case studies in Italy (Amalfi Coast) and Spain (Andalusia and Valencia), showing the technological potential that traditional architecture is still capable of revealing and inspiring in the contemporary panorama.