Scholarly record
ENERGY AND ARCHITECTURE IN AGRARIAN SOCIETIES: A CASE STUDY OF THE IER VALLEY (1900-1915)
Abstract
This paper explores the relationship between energy availability and rural domestic architecture in the Ier Valley, a historically agrarian microregion in northwestern Romania. Focusing on the period 1901-1905, the study investigates whether fluctuations in agricultural productivity-and, by extension, in the energy surplus available to peasant households-may have influenced construction practices and spatial organization. The research draws inspiration from Barnabas Calder-s [1] energy-centered historiography, adapting it to a localized and data-rich setting. A multi-step methodology was employed to estimate annual energy availability and surplus, using historical crop yields, population figures, and calorific conversion coefficients to express all values in kilowatt-hours (kWh). These estimations were then compared to the energy demands of vernacular building practices. Results show a gradual decline in per capita agricultural energy during the period, likely due to demographic growth. In parallel, shifts in household morphology-such as spatial consolidation and barn-house connectivity-suggest adaptive responses to these constraints, though the causal links remain complex. While the findings are preliminary, they offer insights into how low-energy societies balanced building needs with subsistence limitations. By translating historical conditions into a unified energy metric, this study contributes to contemporary conversations on sustainable rural architecture and long-term energy resilience.
Publication Impact Profile
- Captures
- Mendeley - Readers: 1
Publication details
References8
Calder, B. (2021). Architecture from Prehistory to Climate Emergency. Bungay, Suffolk, Marea Britanie: Penguin Random House UK.
Hettne, B., & Fredrik, S. (2002). Theorising the rise of regionness. In S. Breslin, C. W. Hughes, N. Phillips, & B. Rosamond (Eds.), New Regionalism in the Global Political Economy (pp. 33-47). London: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9780203361672_chapter_3
European Environment Agency. (n.d.). Natura 2000 - Standard Data Form.
A Magyar Kir. K�zponti Statisztikai Hivatal. (1924). Magyar Statisztikai K�zlem�nyek - Mezogazdasagi termel�se 1901-1915. Budapesta: Athenaeum Irodalmi �s Nyomdai R�szv�nytarsulat.
Mazoyer, M., & Roudart, L. (2006). A History of the World Agriculture from the Neolithic Age to the Current Crisis. (J. Membrez, Trans.) Londra: Earthscan.
Prodan, D. (1990). The Origins of Serfdom in Transylvania. Slavic Review, 49(1), 1-18. DOI: 10.2307/2500412
?tefanescu, B. (1989). Evolu?ia agriculturii bihorene �n lumina planurilor cadastrale (sec. XVIII-XIX). Crisia XIX, 511-620.
Hagiu, A., Gheorghiu, T., Drimbau, B., Drimbau, R.-N., & Grupul Rural al OAR. (2018, 12). Ghid de arhitectura pentru �ncadrarea �n specificul local din mediul rural zona C�mpia ?i Dealurile Cri?anei ?i Satmarului.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.