Preliminary studies on traditional timber roof structures in Gjirokastra, Albania

Historic timber roofs are load-bearing structures made of wood according to a heuristic and intuitive design, without structural engineering theory support. Traditional wooden roofs in Gjirokastra (Albanian UNESCO World Heritage), seem to be very peculiar in the Southern Western Balkans. The roof structure consists of a single main warping covered by timber planks and stone slabs of different sizes and thickness, placed without mortar or metal hook connections. Elements are connected each other with nails in a very simple heel joint considering the connection between horizontal beams and rafters, and an half-lap joint concerning the connection between rafters and posts. Horizontal beams are nailed to the timber ties system of the masonry which reinforces horizontally the walls ensuring the overall box-like behaviour. The paper will deal with a preliminary description of these wooden structures based on the analysis of a case study: Banesa e Skendulate roof.