Earthern architectural heritage in Sicily: documentation tools for knowledge

Abstract

Traditional rural buildings are an example of sustainable development, with regard to both the source of the main building materials, and to several recurring technical solutions. However, this ecological value was not intentionally accorded by the original creators: we are only able to recognise it by utilisation of present-day knowledge and a comparison with contemporary rural settlements, which have lost it irremediably. This article analyses certain features of sustainability that can be observed in traditional Sicilian farm buildings, with reference both to the realisation and information from the coeval manuals.