The effect of surrounding ground conditions and ventilation rates on the internal environment of traditional excavated dwellings in Santorini, Greece.

This paper deals with the internal environment of traditional excavated dwellings in Santoriniand the effect the conditions of the surrounding volcanic rock have on it. Three buildings weremonitored in the summer and winter and the results of the monitoring were used to simulatethe natural ventilation of the dwellings and calculate the amount of moisture which is releasedfrom the porous material of the walls. The study shows that the internal high relative humidityvalues are mainly due to this moisture release. Simulation shows that the installation of amoisture barrier and an increwe of the ventilation rate provides comfortable conditions in thesummertime, whereas reduction in the ventilation rate and some additional heating is requiredin the filter. This study finally proposes a calculation method for the required ventilation ratebased on a fixed temperature profile for the house, which can lead to the development of amanagement system to control the environmental conditions indoors.