The South of France was hit in February 2023 by a particularly intense mistral episode for several days, with gusts measured at nearly 110 km/h in Arles and Avignon according to Météo France.
The mistral is a north wind often presented as a “wind that drives you crazy” in popular culture in Provence due to its intensity, the duration of the episodes and the discomfort it generates.
In the Middle Ages, the plan of exposed Provençal towns was designed to reduce the effect of the mistral and the inconvenience of pedestrians.
The medieval streets of Avignon oriented along the north-south axis always formed chicanes, which create turbulence which helps limit the channeling of the mistral (top on the map).
Conversely, the more recent streets created in the modern era with the same orientation are perfectly straight and logically produce particularly unpleasant discomfort in the event of a mistral.
This is particularly the case of Rue de la République, built in the 19th century, designed in spite of common sense to access the station, and which is completely deserted by pedestrians in the event of a strong wind (down on the plan).
Yet another example which shows that vernacular architecture and town planning perfectly illustrate a bioclimatic design.
How come these design principles were forgotten?
Sources: C. Olivier, Ch. Peguy.
Image: C. Gaillard, map of Avignon intramuros from Wikimedia.