The Use of the Module, Metric Models and Triangular Tracing in the Traditional Architecture of Northern Greece

Abstract

This paper presents the analysis of the design and construction of the traditional houses in northern Greece and the correlation with the use of the metric system of the architect's cubit and the existence of architectural tracing and proportions. Of particular significance is the detection of certain metric models widely applied in the urban centres of northern Greece during the nineteenth century, and the general application of the Pythagorean theorem on the triangular tracing. The analysis was based on the application of the functional and constructional module on plans and façades of houses in order to investigate its influence on the standardisation of the design of the spaces and their elements, as well as of the construction. This makes it possible to reconstruct the design principles that characterise the traditional houses in the Ottoman Empire and the proportions of their parts, as well as to identify similarities and differences between the various urban centres of northern Greece. Another finding of the research involves the way in which the structural grid is applied to the design of the façades and to the placement of the structural elements and the openings of the timber-frame construction. As a result, conclusions are drawn concerning the role and the effect of the measuring system and the various metric models on the constructional rationale and on the development of the form of the traditional house. © 2011 Kim Williams Books, Turin.