On “Arogi” Buildings’ Structural System and Construction Procedure after the 1953 Earthquake in Kefalonia

Eleni Theotokatou

doi:10.3390/heritage2030133

Abstract

After the series of earthquakes in August 1953, most of Kefalonia’s building stock totally collapsed. The buildings that emerged as a result of a collective effort are commonly referred to as “arogi” buildings, with the term arogi meaning help or assistance. In this way, merely referring to these structures is a direct mention to the circumstances under which they were constructed. The reconstruction of the building stock of the island was based in a series of building types proposed from the authorities, and proceeded replacing the richness of the architectural forms that stood before the earthquake, with austere but necessary settlements. Nevertheless, it is these buildings that constitute today’s image of the island. This study wishes to introduce us to the “arogi” buildings structural system, as it was applied in Kefalonia after the 1953 earthquake, with reference to recent bibliography and the recent experience of the 2014 earthquake. The purpose of setting the grounds for such research would be to highlight the effectiveness of this structural system. Moreover, to emphasize the fact that “arogi” buildings and their construction procedure incorporate Kefalonia’s recent history and have eventually produced today’s available “traditional” architecture of the island.

Highlights

The Ionian Islands stand in a remarkably seismic area, with Kefalonia literally standing on the Greek trench, i.e., where Eurasian and African lithospheric plates come to meet
The real objective of this paper is to show that approaching Kefalonia’s housing issue with arogi buildings can be seen as a case of good practice of that time
In order to understand the behavior of reinforced confined masonry (RCM) buildings, we will attempt to compare their basic structural functions to those of reinforced concrete (RC) frames with infill walls, which is widely applied in Greece and Kefalonia in particular

Summary

Introduction

The Ionian Islands stand in a remarkably seismic area, with Kefalonia literally standing on the Greek trench, i.e., where Eurasian and African lithospheric plates come to meet. In order for the island to be reconstructed, local authorities and mere individuals had to ask for—and received—financial and any other kind of help from expatriates, other countries and the Greek state itself [4] 2933/27-07-1954 (GG162A): On reconstruction of earthquake stricken Ionian Islands, sets the legal framework for the necessary procedures for the reconstruction. Article 13 refers to the “constitution of a committee whose obligation is to decide who would be benefited with financial aid, in order to build an anti-seismic house [5] The construction of “arogi” buildings followed the land redistribution that was originally proposed by Legislative Decree no. The necessary building materials, plans and relevant studies and mere financial recourses had to be provided by the state, as an aid/arogi

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Conclusion