mediterranean morphologies in hot summer conditions: learning from france’s “glorious thirty” holiday housing

mediterranean morphologies in hot summer conditions: learning from france’s “glorious thirty” holiday housing

abstract climate change and rising temperatures lead to an air-conditioning proliferation in the summertime of the mediterranean regions. this study links urban morphology to the microclimate. it claims that a lesson can be drawn from holiday housing morphologies designed with an additive approach during the “glorious thirty” french coastal development (1946-75).

 it is based on a morphological analysis of four case studies, with on the one hand re-drawing and site visiting, on the other hand, assessment of environmental performance through key parameters: absolute rugosity, compactness ratio, building density, mineralization, sky view factor (svf) and height/width (h/w) ratio. compared to literature reference values of a traditional courtyard morphology, the case studies are less compact and with a lower h/w ratio (higher svf), but they are less mineral than a historic medieval city centre. this research contributes to the search for semi-collective alternatives (for example additive morphologies) to individual housing in peri-urban areas, with high environmental performance in the summertime.