Mediterranean Architecture

Mediterranean architecture was extremely popular between the years 1915 and 1940. These buildings have elements such as courtyards or terraces. They are inspired by houses built in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean region pervades three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. The European portion consists of Spain, France, Italy, Greece and the Balkan area, while the African portion consists of the North African countries like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. The Asian portion consists of Turkey, Cyprus and Lebanon.

The Mediterranean region has a rich history and was home to many ancient civilizations such as the Byzantine Empire, the Greek Empire and the Roman Empire. The Mediterranean Sea is an important passage used for trade and commerce between various people living around the coast.

Mediterranean houses have several features that improve the aesthetic value of buildings. For instance, they may have gardens or fountains outside and chandeliers or mantelpieces inside. The houses may be built on hills or by the ocean and may be decorated with landscape plants. They may also have open porches, tall turrets or even a loggia (a series of arches supported by columns). There may be colonnades with keystones on the top. There may also be porticos supported by Doric columns. The building may have soaring towers and spiraling staircases. There may also be balconies with parapet walls, and window grilles made out of wood.

The type of building structure determines the way the building is built. An Italianate villa or palace is built differently from a farmhouse. The building structure may be a hotel or a residential place. The building design may be inspired by Spanish churches or may be rooted in Moorish, Andalusian or Tuscan architecture. Many homes have a fence or a gate to provide a degree of privacy. The house has more than one floor and many bedrooms. The entrance to the building may be a vestibule. The roofs have eaves under the edge. The roof is either hipped or made of red tiles. The colors of the interior are sky blue, pale yellow, light pink or even lavender. There may be a swimming pool outside the house.

Many homes in the West Coast of California and the East Coast of Florida are built using Mediterranean architecture, because these states have the same climate as the Mediterranean region. The climate in the Mediterranean is hot, with temperatures soaring up to 40 degrees Celsius in the summer. So in these regions, houses are built so that the indoors of the house always remains cool. The houses have to be built taking the weather and environmental factors, such as sound, into account. The weather includes wind, rain, sunlight and temperature. Thus, the houses have to be built to enable the protection of the people inside, from the scorching sun, by using insulation to keep the heat out. This is done by giving a stucco finish to the wall surfaces. The houses are painted white and even the floors have white tiles, so that they reflect heat rather than absorb it.

Mediterranean architecture is mostly open and allows for good ventilation. This is appropriate for the warm climates of the Mediterranean. The buildings mix functionality with elegance, so that they are purposeful and look good at the same time. It is important that the buildings be designed with the surroundings in mind, and that is why Mediterranean architecture allows for breezy airing inside the building. It would be beneficial if Mediterranean architecture is adopted in other coastal parts of the world too.