Technological and behavioral aspects of perforated building envelopes in the Mediterranean region

Abstract

Perforated building envelope presents a global contemporary architectural trend which is connected – in some circumstances – to the traditional perforated models, such as ‘Mashrabiyya’, ‘Takhtabush’, ‘Qmariyyah’, etc. This study focuses on perforated models that have archetypical perforated elements within buildings and have technological and behavioural functions reflecting socio-cultural values, economic situation, and environmental needs of the building’s users. An analytical comparison (technologically and behaviourally) has been conducted between the selected contemporary cases of perforated buildings and the traditional models, by considering various aspects of the building’s envelope, and taking into consideration the interaction between perforated envelopes and occupants. After discussing the global trend, an ultimate goal of this paper is to discuss the appropriateness and potentials of advanced solutions of contemporary perforated envelopes in the Mediterranean region in order for an appropriate integration of technological and behavioural aspects to be obtained in the future of this trend.