Tim Frank (Fellow 2015) recently returned from a trip to Turkey to begin his study of thermal zoning in vernacular architecture typologies. Mr. Frank’s hypothesis states that domestic structures were based on a fundamental zero-energy response to dynamic climatic conditions, using construction strategies such as orientation, degree of enclosure, and material systems to intensively shape adequate thermal zones for human inhabitation. As Mr. Frank notes, James Marston Fitch himself undertook much work in this area of study, articulating how distinct architectural attributes related specifically to their natural environment, countering current building trends which utilize hermetically sealed building envelopes and steady-state interior environments which struggle to make such a direct connection.
Enjoy these photos of Mr. Frank in the field in Turkey, assisted by Megan McDonough and Natasha Sanjaya, Graduate Students of Architecture at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively.
