Adaptability of traditional Arab house to its environment in Core Tripoli, Libya

Abstract

Indigenous house form is a kind of vernacular architecture typical of valuable heritage sites like core Tripoli in Libya. These habitats are blessed with considerable traditional housing stock. A case study research approach qualitatively evaluates adaptation factors associated with traditional Arab family residences as at the year 2010 in Core Tripoli neighborhoods. Exclusively, physical and social housing typology characters were measured. Qualitatively, housing environments generate user adaptation from a combination competing social and physical requirements like thermal comfort. A double single storey Arab housing type, shared by multiple families seems to dominate Tripoli landscape. Here, spatial hierarchical order separates public from private zones with strong sense of neighborly interaction and social cohesiveness internally. The research findings suggest the congruence of social value of privacy and physical factor of natural ventilation. From these findings, it is evident that social and physical environmental determinants coincide hence, enhancing the sustainability housing total adaptability. © Medwell Journals, 2012.