Windows are so much more than just the large sheets of glass that the modernists and architects today try to sell you. They can in themselves provide a combination of light, view, privacy, security, space, shade, and passive ventilation, heating, cooling, wind catchment, etc. -->
Maybe the most multifunctional of windows are the Mashrabiya, common in islamic, mediterranean and middle eastern architecture. Primarily they act as wind catchers, leading winds that would otherwise just go past the flat wall, into the building: natural ventilation and cooling.
The Mashrabiya even made it to the New World via the Moorish architecture of Iberia, here is the The Archbishop's Palace of Lima, Peru, built in 1924 by the Polish-Peruvian architect Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski (1887-1972).
The name Mashrabiya being a bit difficult for Westerners, is sometimes referred to as “Harem Windows” (or “Oriel Windows” due to its similar function and look as the common European oriel). Oriel windows are supported by brackets or corbels or something similar.
Mashrabiya have a distinctively near- and middle east look, very evocative. Here are two fake ones in Tokyo Disneysea’s Arabian Coast section. They look fantastic in real life, even in a theme park.
They also serve a public function: they offer shade in narrow streets, protects the walls against rain. They help increase air circulation through the difference in temperature between the shaded streets and the open courtyards behind.
Jali is a patterned perforated screen usually carved in wood or stone. Its primary function is to let air pass through while preserving privacy & blocking harsh sunlight. The many small openings speed up wind passing through, more effectively ventilating & cooling the interior.
Jali is a typical feature in indian and islamic architecture and art. Here is the famous tree of life Jali in Sidi Saiyyed mosque in Ahmedabad, built in 1573.

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More from @wrathofgnon

4 Mar
In Japan, the Sawara (Chamaecyparis pisifera) is the poor cousin of its much more famous (and valuable) relative Hinoki. It even gets it name as a comparison to Hinoki, it is soft and light (sawaraka). Slow growing, it takes 200 to 300 years to reach its full height of 35-50m.
It is tricky to tell the difference, but sawara (right, with a tiny X pattern) has smaller cones and pointy leaves compared to the hinoki (left, with a tiny Y pattern). But if you find it as lumber, Hinoki smells like heaven and Sawara smells a little sour like lemons.
After the peace of 1600, the need for timber to build Japan's towns and castles grew so rapidly that it threatened to destroy the ecological balance of the entire country. The feudal Owari clan in particular had extensive forestry holdings and saw the urgent need to protect them.
Read 8 tweets
1 Mar
This beguinage in Courtrai occupies two acres and could comfortably house a hundred people. Add an acre for food fish, aquaculture and greenhouses, and you could feed them as well. People in the 13th century built this with hand tools as a charitable endeavor. It'd be easy today.
The U.S. have 17 or so active infantry divisions. It would be peanuts for each one of them to get the money and personnel needed to build a three acre self-sustainable "veteran's village" and just let homeless veterans of each division live in them for free in perpetuity.
What veteran, either bachelor or with a small family, would not want to live here for free? Welcome to the 3rd Infantry Division, Georgia, Veteran Village. Hand made with only natural materials. Jobs included, unless you already have one.
Read 6 tweets
28 Feb
“Living in a traditional urban environment is much more enjoyable, not more expensive to build than the usual contemporary developments. In order to achieve the highest social qualities it should become the general standard for new developments.” —Count Léopold Lippens, 1941-2021 ImageImageImage
Count Léopold Lippens was the mayor of Knokke-Heist, Belgium, until his death on February 19th, 1979-2021.
“We found an ideological commitment to Modernism, at any cost.” — DPZ's Jeff Speck, AIA, the project manager.

“Contrary to prevailing opinion, however, the Lord Mayor of Knokke-Heist preferred classical architecture for the project.” ImageImage
Read 5 tweets
27 Feb
The Venetian Well is a clever way to collect and clean rainwater for household use in dense urban areas without usable groundwater or nearby springs, such as on rocky islands or reclaimed land. The name comes from the technique having been the principal way Venice got its water.
A square or courtyard—the bigger the better but any size works—is dug out to a depth of six meters, filled with sand and gravel, one or more drains are installed to collect rainwater which is then allowed to filter down to the bottom and seep into the well made of porous brick.
Naturally a construction of this size and complexity was a huge undertaking and could only be accomplished collectively. The Venetian Republic cooperated with private sponsors to install over 6000 of these wells from the late middle ages to the end of the 18th century.
Read 14 tweets
22 Feb
Kyoto urbanism. This two story lot was recently renovated to three units in front and two in back, with a central miniature courtyard, accessed via two small alleys (one covered). 300m²/3230ft². Homes or businesses bringing in about $7600 in monthly rents, about $25/m². Not bad.
It might not beat London's skinniest home in terms of worth but it is probably more productive in terms of jobs, tax incomes, etc. Things are better fine grained.
The only way to get returns like this is to build to the human scale. Even then Kyoto has trains connecting it to Osaka (a city that alone has a similar GDP as New Zealand), a bus network, and a subway. Very little space is wasted on parking lots and highways, access ramps etc.
Read 4 tweets
17 Feb
Kitayama Village is probably the most amazing village in Japan that most people have never heard of. Population is a mere 432, 97% forest, it is the only place in the world that grows the citrus fruit known as Jabara, which contains unique natural anti-inflammatory compounds.
That this fruit even exists is a miracle. When the feudal system was abolished in 1871, the isolated village was forgotten and ended up an enclave between Nara and Mie Prefectures. The villagers promptly decided to join Wakayama Prefecture, as that was where their market lay.
The forests surrounding the village is home to wild monkeys, who would conduct raids on the local orchards and fruit trees. Nothing was spared. Except one tree that grew an odd seedless yuzu-esque fruit that the monkeys for some reason hated. So the villagers started growing it.
Read 7 tweets

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