Abstract
This study explores the sustainable architectural practices of traditional houses in Timimoun, South Algeria, with a central focus on how these applications reflect cultural values, particularly the importance placed on women’s comfort and ease of movement within the house. Timimoun’s urban layout, characterized by its earthen architecture, reflects a rich tradition of el Ksar. These traditional houses are constructed to maintain independent and uninterrupted household activities, with features such as the Rahba, which regulates temperature throughout the year. The facade design embodies simplicity and uniformity, symbolizing equality and solidarity. Handcrafted plastering and clay pellets on the walls enhance aesthetic appeal and reflect sunlight, contributing to sustainability. These characteristics prioritize the well-being of women, ensuring their daily activities are facilitated by thoughtful spatial arrangements and climate control measures. The use of local materials, such as palm trunks for beams and dried palm leaves for flooring, underscores the community’s commitment to environmental sustainability and cultural heritage. This research introduces the main characteristics of Timimoun house while reviewing the literature on it, then it analyses its properties from the point of sustainability. It also highlights that the intention? of these traditional houses is a direct reflection of cultural practice that can give the women and her entire comfort of living and acting in the house. The significance of the traditional techniques in contemporary sustainable architecture and their role in honoring cultural practices that value women’s contributions and comfort by expressing the Indoor environmental quality adapted to their life style.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Sustainable Development for a Dynamic Planet: Lessons, Priorities, and Solutions
KEYWORDS
Traditional architecture, Sustainability, Culture, Timimoun, Algeria
