Crete is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean and, due to its geographical position, was forum of different cultures over the centuries, with the result of abundant cultural diversity.
As it is natural, local architecture which has developed in various periods was not an autonomous phenomenon, but was affected by the data which have transferred the conquerors, Byzantines, Turks, Arabs and, most important for the island as to their influence, Venetians. In the projects of folk architecture is evident the archaic nature, with enriched loans and foreign influences, harmonized in such a way so as to maintain always the cultural identity of the site.
Minoan, Byzantine, Venetian, Ottoman cultures coexist with Cretan folk architecture and offer us an important number buildings, representative of now adjusted the data of renaissance architecture of the West to local conditions and source of information for the elements which influenced the development of urban and rural housing on the island. Those buildings have survived in a substantial extent by the disaster and the deterioration over the years.
Starting from a brief overview of the historical and cultural development of the island and having mentioned the elements which have affected the development of the region, will describe the type of buildings and of the individual components, and will indicate the material and their construction.
It will then be studied a building, representative of architecture, with a view to investigating its energy behaviour. In particular, the purpose of research is, after the investigation of materials and manufacture of the building and reproduction, as far as possible, of a realistic model for simulation through design programs, to assess the thermal and lighting conditions which thrive within the building.
Finally, I would propose ways of intervention for the improvement of energy behaviour of the building, so that it is known the performance of a possible re-use, based on the current data. These ways of intervention could be implemented to all the traditional buildings of Crete.