3 ms·
> In the summer, all this concrete makes the heat of an already pretty hot place unberable You may have found it unbearable because it was just really hot, but
by danans 6y ago
> In the summer, all this concrete makes the heat of an already pretty hot place unberable
You may have found it unbearable because it was just really hot, but it would have been far worse in a wood building with similar density. Concrete has very high thermal mass and when thick enough and thermally coupled to the ground, significant thermal resistance, so it acts like a cave. The bigger problem with concrete landscapes is the lack of air flow and shading that would otherwise be provided by clearings, trees and foliage.
- YeGoblynQueenne 6y agoThere's shade in Athens- the balconies provide plenty of it and also protection from the (sparse) rain. But from my experience, concrete buildings -probably because of their high thermal mass, as you say- trap the heat during the day an then slowly release it at night, keeping the ambient temperature higher than it would be outside the city (the lack of air flow, as you say, makes matters worse as there's not enough of it to take the heat away). The thermal resistance is true, also. Like I say in another comment, it's common in Athens (and in Greece in general) to keep one's windows closed during the day, to keep out the heat, then open them in the night so cool air comes back in. Especially older houses with thicker walls are very good at that. The bottom line though is that Athens in the summer is hell, at least during the day. That is the one thing I don't miss now that I've moved in colder climes. (I miss all the stuff I moan about, above. Stockholm syndrom- or Athens syndrome, I guess)