Lessons from the vernacular architecture in Sierra Magina, Jaen

Vernacular architecture is made with materials from the environment, adopting energy saving strategies to protect its inhabitants from nature and providing them a comfortable place to live. Nowadays, solutions like heating and air conditioning set aside the interest in isolation, solar protection or thermal inertia. This article aims to describe vernacular architecture in Sierra Magina, in the province of Jaen, one of Spain's most extreme temperature regions, and translate traditional strategies into strategies applicable to sustainable buildings. That is, to answer to the following question: How could vernacular knowledge be restored and used in contemporary architecture?