HOUSE CONSTRUCTION

The second phase of the TiMMA experiment focused on incorporating timber elements from the 'protopalatial Minoan' small building with mud brick walls, a project supervised by Maia Pomadère from Paris I, ArScAn, and Marta Lorenzon from the University of Helsinki.

Mud bricks were prepared by various teams, including students, members of Piliko, and other volunteers. For more details, you can visit (https://www.efa.gr/mission-de-terrain-de-lefa-construction-dun-batiment-experimental-a-malia/). The construction of the building began with the laying of the foundation rubble wall, followed by the placement of the timber elements.

Building of the rubble base of the building (©Apostolou).

One of the aims of the experimental study was to test various layouts and sections of the horizontal timber reinforcement system used in mud brick masonry. This system has been identified in Quartier Mu at Malia and in other Minoan buildings from the pre-proto and neopalatial periods, such as those in Vasiliki, Phaistos, and Akrotiri, particularly in rubble walls.

Longitudinal and transversal logs put on the East, South and North walls (©Tsakanika and Rougier-Blanc).

During the construction process in July 2023, several practical difficulties arose, including a shortage of time, labor, and building materials, particularly bricks. In response to these challenges, the supervisors of the Efa project made the decision to construct a smaller structure measuring 4 x 2.30 meters, which equates to approximately 9 square meters.

The drawings of the experimental building, that were designed during the planning process (left) and after the changes and adjustments (©Apostolou).

Axonometric drawings of the experimental building, that were designed during the planning process (© Bacoup).

On site drawings for the position of the timber elements (©Tsakanika).

For the horizontal timber reinforcement system of masonry, we based our layout choices on archaeological evidence from the aforementioned sites. For example, in one wall, we placed two longitudinal timbers, while in the other two walls, we used three. The transverse timbers in the north and south walls were positioned above the longitudinal ones, which is consistent with the approach used in historic structures. However, in the west wall, we placed them underneath the longitudinal timbers, following evidence from Malia. This was done to investigate whether using mud bricks with standardized dimensions, in contrast to rubble masonry, or the arrangement of timbers at the corners of these structures, influenced the variations in layouts and sections.

The first horizontal reinforcement system was installed between the stone base and the mud brick wall, and the second was positioned at approximately 1 meter above the stone base, beneath the roof beams. It was decided to leave the north wall without any horizontal timber reinforcement on the upper part under the roof beams to observe how the mud brick wall performed with and without timber reinforcement under the load of the roof beams.

Unfortunately, we were unable to construct the horizontal roof elements, including the beams and dorosis, this year. Instead, members of the Efa project erected a temporary cover to protect the building until it can be completed next year.

The design of the door and window structure for the experimental building was primarily based on archaeological data gathered from the protopalatial Hypostyle Crypt at Malia and supplemented by findings from the neopalatial site of Akrotiri. The bulk of the construction work on these elements occurred during the initial phase of the campaign in May 2023, spanning 11 days (please refer to the above section for details).

When creating the timber-to-timber joints, we considered various factors, including archaeological evidence, the structural function of the connected timber components, their interaction with other surrounding structural elements such as walls and the roof, the absence of metal fasteners during the studied Aegean Bronze Age period, and the historical/traditional carpentry techniques of the period.

It's worth noting that the experimentation conducted during the timber preparation and the integration of these elements into the building is expected to serve as a valuable tool for advancing research on prehistoric timber structures and providing insights into timber connections that are not currently documented. Furthermore, the experimental building process itself may lead to adjustments in our initial design decisions, as has already occurred in this particular case.

We tested two techniques: the mortise-and-tenon joint for connecting the vertical timbers to the transversal ones, and the lap joint in which the transversal elements extend beyond the longitudinal ones (used for the window). Additionally, a third technique for joining two superimposed horizontal pieces of wood, the free tenon joint (utilized for the door), was prepared and tested in July during the assembly of the entire structure.

Preparing and adjusting loose tenons for the connection of the upper transversal timbers of the door to the lintels (©Tsakanika and Rougier-Blanc).

Preparation and testing of the window sill in connection with the mud brick walls and their timber horizontal reinforcement system (© Tsakanika and Rougier-Blanc).

The entire process was completed after numerous trials and last-minute adjustments, with the structure already in place, to ensure the best possible fit of the frames. The project was extensively documented through photographs, videos, and scans of all the timber elements before their assembly and placement, as well as the various stages of the building's construction.

The team for the second phase of the Timber experiment consisted of Niki Apostolou, Valentin Loescher, Elena Maragoudaki, Eleftheria Tsakanika, and Sylvie Rougier-Blanc, with assistance from Enzo Marion, (Master student at Paris I, ArScAn).