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Vernacular Architecture Alberobello , ItalyGZS PTU CAMPUSBathindaSubmitted to:Ar.Kajal HandaSubmitted by:Harshita MaheshwariB.Arch IX sem.21012CERTIFICATEThis is to certify that Ms. HARSHITA MAHESHWARI has completed OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE this report under the guidance of Ar.KAJAL HANDA.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTDoing this report was a very interesting challenge for me as I chose the UNESCO heritage site named ALBROBELLO in Italy. Studying this place became my interest as it is a great example of beautiful vernacular architecture. It inspired me to think of using local materials in construction which depicts the cultural heritage of the town.For the making of report, Ar.Kajal Handa has been mu keen support in every stage of it. She guided me in throughout and has also helped me in understanding the construction techniques and the materials used in trulli of Alberobello. I am very thankful to her for playing an important role in completion of this report

HARSHITA MAHESHWARICONTENTSABSTRACTTheTrulliin the Apulian town of Alberobello are famous worldwide for their beauty and unique characteristics, and represent one of the most extraordinary examples of Italian folkarchitecture.They were built in a particular historical period, when the construction of stable dwellings was highly-taxed;the inhabitants of the region thusboasted a great capacity to adapt,and an exceptional cleverness in coming up with the idea forthe Trulli, temporary houses builtwith the local stone. The originality of the work earned the trulli of ofAlberobello (inApulia)their recognition as aWorld Heritage Site.The town is named after the primitive oak forest Arboris Belli (beautiful trees) that once covered this area. Alberobello is universally-known as the capital of the Trulli. Here, each Trullo is of a differentshape and size. Unique constructions, they are sometimes combined in a complex of communicating houses, while othersare built on two levels. Most of them featurea grey cone-shaped roof that ends with a sphereorhemisphere shape. Theinterior, arranged as a single chamber, is constitutedniches for afireplace,bed andvarious furniture. The structure assures excellent indoor climate control: cool in summer and warm in winter.The interiors are equipped with wooden fittings, such as door frames, barrel-vaulted niches, etc., and in some of the larger trulli there is a second storey formed from a wooden floor and reached by means of a wooden staircase. Stone fireplaces and ovens are ventilated through stone slabs covering them. The roofs are not painted and develop a patina of mosses and lichens; they sometimes bear mythological or religious symbols in white ash. By contrast, the walls of the trulli must be whitewashed at regular intervals, which has the effect of rounding the outlines of the stones, giving a brilliant homogeneous surface. Some of the trull are now used for stores, restaurants, and lodging. But many are still inhabited by locals, who are friendly to visitors. As a world herotage site, Alberobello is a tourist attraction, but as it is less accessible from the tourist heavy west coast , it is not overrun by tourists , and most tourists of Alberobello are Italians.The town is in the centre of an annual pilgrimage to Basilica dedicated to the martyr saints Cosma and Damiano.The "Trulli" in AlberobelloWHAT IS VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE?Vernacular architecture is a category of architecture based on local needs and construction materials, and reflecting local traditions. It tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural, technological, and historical context in which it exists. While often not thoroughly and academically planned, this kind of architecture played and still plays a major role in the history of architecture and design, especially in local branches.

1.Rondavel in Cameroon

2.A typical jungle hut in Brazilian Amazonia, made of straw and supported by stilts.

3. Toda hut , Indian Vernacular Architecture

4. Thatched Longhouse, WalesArchitecture designed by professional architects is usually not considered to be vernacular. Vernacular architecture is influenced by a great range of different aspects of human behaviour and environment, leading to differing building forms for almost every different context; even neighbouring villages may have subtly different approaches to the construction and use of their dwellings.Every region has different construction material and techniques. Taking an example of village in Italy, named ALBEROBELLO (Southern Region of Puglia).

5. Map of ALBEROBELLOINTRODUCTION6

LOCATIONItaly is located in Southern Europe and comprises the italian peninsula and a number of islands including the two largest , Silcily and Sardinia. The countrys total area is 3,01,230 square kilometres. It is situated at the meeting point of Eurasian Plate and African Plate. Due to the longitudnal extension of the peninsula and the mostly mountainous internal conformation, the climate of italy is highly diverse.

CLIMATEItaly has a variety of climate systems. The inland northern areas of Italy (for example Turin, Milan, and Bologna) have a relatively cool, mid-latitude version of the Humid subtropical climate , while the coastal areas of Liguria and the peninsula south of Florence generally fit the Mediterranean climate.Summer is usually more stable, although the northern regions often have thunderstorms in the afternoon/night hours and some grey and rainy days. So, while south of Florence the summer is typically dry and sunny, in the north it tends to be more humid and cloudy. Spring and Autumn weather can be very changeable, with sunny and warm weeks (sometimes with Summer-like temperatures) suddenly broken off by cold spells or followed by rainy and cloudy weeks.In the north precipitation is more evenly distributed during the year, although the summer is usually slightly wetter. Between November and March the Po valley is often covered by fog, especially in the central zone.

ARCHITECTUREItaly has a very broad and diverse architectural style, which cannot be simply classified by period, but also by region, due to Italy's division into several city-states until 1861. However, this has created a highly diverse and eclectic range in architectural designs. Italy is known for its considerable architectural achievements, such as the construction of arches, domes and similar structure during Ancient Rome.Several of the finest works in Western architecture, such as the Colosseum, the Duomo of Milan, Florence cathedral and the building designs of Venice are found in Italy. Italy has an estimated total of 100,000 monuments of all varieties (museums, palaces, buildings, statues, churches, art galleries, villas, fountains, historic houses and archaeological remains). It has widely influenced the architecture of the world.

6. Map of ITALY

7. MONT BLANCHighest mountain in Italy & Western Europe

8. FLORENCE CATHEDRAL(Largest Brick Dome in the world)ITALY7ECONOMYItaly has a diversified industrial economy with high gross domestic product(GDP) per capita and developed infrastructure. Milan is the financial centre of Italy. The main industries are tourism, communications, machinery, steel, chemicals, motor vehicles, fashion, clothing etc.

CULTUREMore than 2,000 years Italy experienced migrations, invasions and was divided into may independent states until 1861 when it became a nation-state. Despite the political and social isolation of these regions, Italys contributions to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe and the world remain immense.The famous elements of Italian culture are its art, music, fashion, and iconic food. Italy was the birthplace of Opera, and for generations the language of opera was Italian. Popular tastes in drama in Italy have long favoured comedy and is still performed today. The famous ballet dance also generated jn Italy. It is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

CUISINEItalian cuisine has developed through significant changes occurred with the discovery of the New World. it is characterised by its simplicity, with many dishes having four to eight ingredients. Italian cooks rely chiefly on the quality of the ingredients. Cheese and wine are a major part of the cuisine with many variations. Each area has its own specifications , primarily at a regional level. Traditionally, meals in Italy usually contains 3 or 4 courses.

9. Milan (Financial Centre)10. Prada ( Brand)

10. St. Peters Basilica11. Monalisa Painting12. Drama (Theatre)13. Pizza15. Espresso (Coffee)

14. MilanesaITALYALBEROBELLO ,ITALY

16.ALBEROBELLO, ITALYAlberobello, the city of drystone dwellings known as trulli , is an exceptional example of vernacular architecture. It is one of the best preserved and most homogeneous urban areas of this type in Europe. Its special features, and the fact that the buildings are still occupied, make it unique. It also represents a remarkable survival of prehistoric building techniques. There was prehistoric settlement in the Itria and the tholos (dome-shaped tomb) tradition of building may have come to the region at this time.

17.DwellingsHowever, recent research suggests that scattered rural settlements that began around AD 1000 gradually coalesced to form the village units of latter-day Aja Piccola and Monti. Tradition has it that drystone walling was imposed upon the new settlers so their houses could be quickly dismantled. This served two purposes: recalcitrant householders could be dispossessed easily and, later, it would be possible to avoid taxation on new settlements. In the latter case the buildings could be reconstructed equally rapidly. This is known to have occurred in 1644 to thwart tax inspectors sent by the King of Naples. However, historical and comparative analysis suggests that this technique was a minimal physical response to local conditions, later to be exploited for punitive purposes.These buildings were constructed using roughly worked limestone boulders collected from neighbouring fields and, later, the large water-collecting basins in the area. They were built directly on the underlying natural rock, using exclusively the drystone technique. The walls that form the rectangular rooms are double, with rubble cores, and are pierced by small windows. Fireplaces, ovens and alcoves are recessed into the thickness of the walls. The roofs, which are also double-skinned, spring directly from the walls, simple squinches allowing the transition from the rectangular to the circular or oval sections of the roofs themselves. These are built up of successive courses of grey limestone slabs, known as chianche or chiancarelle . The roofs of the larger building terminate in a decorative pinnacle, often apotropaic in function. There are ingenious provisions for collecting rainwater using projecting eaves at the base of the roof which divert the water through a channelled slab into the cistern beneath the house. Flights of narrow stone steps give access to the roofs.

18. Front Facade

19. Section of a trulli houseLOCATIONThere is evidence of prehistoric settlement in the Itria valley, and it is possible that the tholos tradition of building may have come to the region at this time. It is generally considered that the present settlement dates from the mid-14th century, when what appears at the time to have been an uninhabited area was granted to the first Count of Conversano by Robert d'Anjou, Prince of Taranto, in recognition of his service during the Crusades.

22. Old trulli houses20. Map Showing PugliaAlberobello is a small town in the province of Bari, in Puglia, Italy. It has about 11,000 inhabitants and is famous for its trulli construction. It is a part of UNESCO World Heritage sites list since 1960.GEOLOGYThe Murgia is a karst plateau. Winter rains drain through the soil into fissures in the strata of limestone bedrock, and flow through underground watercourses into the Adriatic. There is no permanent surface water, and water for living purposes must be trapped in catchment basins and cisterns. The surface forms a landscape of rolling hills and ridges punctuated now and again with dolines and other forms of enclosed depressions characteristic of karsts.CLIMATEAlberobello enjoys a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot, dry summers. It has an an average temperature above 10C in their warmest months and an average in the coldest between 18C to -3C.CLIMATE

21. Weather HISTORYTradition has it that drystone walling was imposed upon the new settlers so that their houses could be quickly dismantled. This served two purposes: recalcitrant householders could be dispossessed easily and, later, it would be possible to avoid taxation on new settlements. In the latter case the buildings could be reconstructed equally rapidly. This is known to have occurred in 1644 to thwart tax inspectors sent by the King of Naples. However, historical and comparative analysis suggests that this technique was no more than a minimal physical response to local conditions and circumstances, later to be exploited for fiscal or punitive purposes.By the mid-16th century the Monti area was already occupied by some forty trulli, but it was in 1620 that the settlement, then still part of the town of Noci, began to expand, when the Count of the period, Gian Girolamo Guercio, ordered the construction of a bakery, a mill, and an inn. The name of Alberobello was adopted, taken from the medieval Latin name of the region, silva arboris belli. From this time onwards the construction of new trulli quickly declined.ALBEROBELLO ,ITALYAPPROACH:The easiest way to reach Alberobello is by train at Bari Central station it takes 1hr30min. It can also be reached by carwith under an hours drive either bari or brindisi airport. ATTRACTIONS:Alberobellos attractions area all within walking distance. There are so many places to roam around in Alberobello like Gargano National Park, Torre Canne Beach, Town Markets, Churches, Museums, Castel De Monte etc.Nearby you will find number of fascinating towns- for example, the white towns of Locorotorondo, Cisternino and Ostuni. The caves of Castellana Grotte are spectacular.

ALBEROBELLO ,ITALYFESTIVALS AND EVENTS:In summers, Alberobello host a number of festivals. These include a significant international folk festival, music festivals, dance, theatre, street theatre, and children events. There are also religious festivalswith music performances and firework displays. Most of the performances are free and open-air.The town has vibrant passenggiata with summer strolls continuing beyound midnight.CUISINE:The most famous pasta made in this region is oricchiette made daily in most of the villages. It has many delicious cheeses, most famous being burrata. Fish plays a large part in the cuisine of Alberrobello. Lamb is the most popular meat, followed by pork and horsemeat with beef. Inspite of this excess of food,the daily cuisine of this region tends to be simple, fresh andwholesome with most locals growing, rearing and making enoughfor their individual needs.

22. Parrochia Santuairio Basilica23. Beauty of Trulli houses24. Acqua splash Alberobello25. Festival Celebration 26. Cuisine

ARCHITECTUREModel showing the typical construction technique of a trullo of Alberobello. The cavity between the inside ashlar wall face and the exterior covering of stone tiles or chiancharelle is filled with stone rubble. The vault is one of stone voussoirs.GROUPING:The trullo is essentially a rural building type. With its thick walls and its inability to form multi-story structures, it is wasteful of ground space and consequently ill-suited to high density settlement. However, being constructed of small stones, it has a flexibility and adaptability of form which are most helpful in tight urban situations.

In the countryside, trullo domes were built singly or in groups of up to five, or sometimes in large farmyard clusters of a dozen or two dozen, but never for the occupancy of more than a single rural family. The Zone of Trulli on the western hill of town is a dense mass of 1500 beehive-shaped houses, white-tipped as if dusted by snow. Buildings with conical roof made without mortar.27. Model of Trulli28. Grouping of Trulli housesALBEROBELLO ,ITALYMATERIALS:Depending on the area, the building material used could be either hard limestone or calcareous tufa. These buildings were constructed using roughly worked limestone boulders collected from neighbouring fields and, later, the large water-collecting basins in the area. They were built directly on the underlying natural rock, using exclusively the drystone technique.

29. Wall made of LimestoneMASONRY:Traditionally trulli were built using dry stone masonry, i.e. without any mortar or cement. This style of construction is also prevalent in the surrounding countryside where most of the fields are separated by dry-stone walls.WALLS:

In Alberobello, the structural walls of a trullo are laid directly on the bedrock, after removal of the topsoil when necessary. Their width varies from 0.80 metres to 2.70 metres Their height (from ground level to where the vault starts) ranges from 1.60 metres to 2 metres. Their exterior facing has a 3 to 5% batter. The walls that form the rectangular rooms are double, with rubble cores, and are pierced by small windows.. Even the temperature is controlled in this type of wall as in summers , there is cool inside house and in winters, there is warm but not always. The walls of the trullo's base are usually more than three feet thick, and they commonly have in-built niches or crude sinks.30. Section showing the layers of wallALBEROBELLO ,ITALYROOFS:The roofs are constructed in two skins: an inner skin of limestone voussoirs, capped by a closing stone, and an outer skin of limestone slabs that are slightly tilted outwardly, ensuring that the structure is watertight. The roof stones can be taken away without compromising the stability of the rest. Pitch of roof is 55-60 degrees.

31. Typical Section of Roof 32. 3 Layers of roofLimestone SlabsLimestoneBroken Stone PiecesUNDERGROUND CISTERN:The stones needed for starting to build a trullo were provided by digging a cistern (cisterna), an absolute necessity in an area devoid of water. The cistern was capped with a lime-mortared barrel vault or dome which in many cases supported the floor of the house. There are ingenious provisions for collecting rainwater using projecting eaves at the base of the roof which divert the water through a channelled slab into the cistern beneath the house. This ensured that each house has its own water supply. The cistern sits below trullo, where evaporation is minimized and convenient access is had. This integrated water catchment helpedinsure survival in an arid land.PLANS:The trullo may take on a circular or a square plan. The circular trullo is mostly a temporary shelter for animals and their fodder, or for the peasant himself.The trullo that is part of a grouping of three, four or five follows a squarish plan. It may serve as a kitchen, bedroom, animal shelter, store room for food or tools, oven, cistern as the case may be. The planning of Alberobello is not based on any pattern but there are groupings of some houses together and by the evidence of 19th century the groupings to be constructed were decided to be two or three. The construction technique makes it climate friendly.

Cistern33. Section showing Cistern

35. Rectangular Plans of Trullos

34. Plan of AlberobelloALBEROBELLO ,ITALYPINNACLES:In Alberobello atop a trullo's cone there is normally a hand-worked sandstone pinnacle (pinnacolo), that may be one of many designs - disk, ball, cone, bowl, polyhedron, or a combination thereof, and is supposed to be the signature of the stonemason who built the trullo.

WHITEWASHED SYMBOLS:Additionally, the cone itself may have a symbol painted on it (as shown in the picture of the trulli in Alberobello.) Such symbols may include Christian symbols such as a simple cross, a cross on a heart pierced by an arrow (representing Santa Maria Addolorata, i.e. Our Lady of Sorrows), a circle divided into four quarters with the letters S,C,S,D in them (for Sanctus Christus and Sanctus Dominus according to one source, but more likely the initials of Santo Cosma and Santo Damiano, the two saints the local basilica is dedicated to and quite a few others.37. Symbols on roof36b. Pinnacles36a. Pinnacle36. Types of Pinnacles on the roof top38. Symbols painted on roofALBEROBELLO ,ITALYCONSTRUCTION OF TRULLO:

ABOUT TRULLO:Trulli look like clusters of white haystacks. Compelling yet simple, the top of each room in a trullo structure is a beehive-shaped dome of dry stacked limestone. In their design, the trulli show strongly repetitive themes. The rooms are connected via barrel vault or lintelled passages, and the roofline reflects each passage as a parabolic curve from dome top to dome top. The footprint of each room is roughly square, 9-15 feet per wall length, and at door lintel height, the corners corbelling to achieve circularity within one or two courses.

STEPS OF CONSTRUCTION OF A TRULLI:Firstly, the limestone from the fields takes a chisel very nicely. The importance of maintaining surface to surface friction through tight fitting cannot be overemphasized in load bearing dry stack work. A close look at the stones which comprise the dome's outer skin show remarkable workmanship. Each one is slightly radiused with respect to the trullo's central vertical axis, with a slightly tapered top to help shed water. These shingle stones, called chiancarelle, are laid with an outward pitch just a few degrees below level and are uniform to the extent that, though they are dry laid, it is rare to see any missing in even the unrestored trullo. The rocks which comprise the inner skin of the dome are also finely worked. The top of each one leans out farther than the bottom, but this is not achieved by tipping a rectangular stone; each one is shaped so that the joints stay roughly horizontal when laid. Each stone is a true corbel, projecting past the stones below such that the face conforms to the dome's lateral and vertical curves. The dome is 14-20 inches thick and its two skins entomb a lot of rock shims and fill material.

ALBEROBELLO ,ITALY

39. Limestone in Fields40. Image showing the initial stage of construction of trulli houses . Walls are constructed with the arches or lintels.

ALBEROBELLO ,ITALY2. Secondly, the rural masons who built the trulli knew that each course of a dome, once complete and installed,established load bearing integrity called ring tension. It stands to reason that the outer skin was installed immediately after the inner, course by course, so that each top course would serve as a narrow scaffolding upon which men could walk and work.

3. Finally, the profile of the interior of the trullo dome closely resembles a kind of blunt-tipped Gothic arch. TheGothic arch has characteristically near-straight shoulders, which eliminates the forces of horizontal thrust better than other arch profiles, thus increasing its stability as a free - standing form.

41. Image showing the icompete construction of the walls and providing wooden support for the dome to be constructed42. Image showing the completion stage of roof.43. Image showing the completion of a trulli house with dome 44. Finally the exterior and the interior surface of the walls get whitewashedALBEROBELLO ,ITALYINTERIORS:The vast majority of trulli have one room under each conical roof, with additional living spaces in arched alcoves. Children would sleep in alcoves made in the wall with curtains hung in front. A multiroomed trullo house has many cones representing a room each. Along with its exterior wall, a trullo's interior room and vault intrados were often rendered with lime plaster and whitewashed for protection against drafts. The trulli used as dwellings all have an open fireplace complete with a flue (hidden in the masonry) and a stone-built chimney stack (rising high above the roof). Because of their design, trulli are difficult to heat: the walls are too thick and warm air will rise up the interior cone. The thick stone walls and dome of the trullo, pleasantly cool in the summer, tend to become unpleasantly cold during the winter months, condensing the moisture given off by cooking and breathing and making it difficult to feel warm even in front of the fire. The inhabitants simply leave the doors open during the day to keep the interior dry, and live more outdoors than in.

45. Section of a trulli HouseLoft as StoragePinnacleRoofBedroomCooking alcoveMain EntrancePipe to Cistern46. Dining Area47. KitchenFACADES:Some trullo houses have had their perimeter walls substantially raised so that their cones can be hidden from view, making the buildings look like ordinary houses.A number of conical roofs have a truncated top with a round hole in it covered by a movable circular slab. Access to the hole is by an outside stairway built into the roof. These trulli were for grain, hay or straw storage .ALBEROBELLO ,ITALY

WINDOWS:Owing to the concentration of houses, trulli have few openings outside their doorway and a small aperture provided in the roof cone for ventilation. As a result, it can be quite dark inside.

48. A Ventilator at the Entrance49. Window in the Roof50. Image showing attractive facades of trulli houses