Sustainable Architecture Techniques in Albanian Traditional Houses

Abstract

The composition of an architectural space reflects the manner of life and culture of a society. In addition to building actual structures, architects also design spaces in which people might live. By using manual construction techniques and a lack of theoretical and in-depth technological knowledge, traditional homes usually reflect the society, culture, and technology of the era in which they were constructed. The boundaries between private and public spaces are typically merged in traditional homes, which frequently promote themselves as tiny communities. The development of the conventional home serves as evidence of logical semantic overlap since it is both a reflection of the collective symbolic universe and a manifestation of the dominant culture. The purpose of this article is to examine a variety of traditional homes in Albania and evaluate their plans, circulation patterns, accessibility, and relationship with light and the surrounding environment in light of their various geographic and cultural settings. The study’s main objective, the examination of the dwellings, shows how traditional homes can implement sustainability principles that are solely based on craft knowledge, societal expectations, and meteorological data. These results may aid in creating a traditional architectural legacy sustainability index that can be applied to homes and enhance the process of creating sustainable structures based on traditional ones without abandoning cultural heritage practices, memories, or identities.