Hâte-toi de bâtir la demeure, hâte-toi de bâtir le palais

Devolder, Maud [UCL]

This paper examines the potential of a specific approach to the relation between architecture and society, the estimation of the construction ‘costs’ (expressed in man-days) of particular buildings. This kind of architectural approach is based on the principle that a quantitative estimation of the construction process of a building produced by a society necessarily reflects this society, allowing new insights. The principles are here applied to the Minoan palace at Gournia on Crete. An examination of the time devoted to the construction of the palace leads to interesting possibilities where the phasing of the edifice and its relation with its built environment, the town, are concerned as well the social and historical context in which the central building was initially constructed, used and transformed. In this peculiar case, the construction ‘costs’ of the palace of Gournia show a very distinct amount of energy invested in LM IA and in LM IB, together with a growing differentiation in the domestic architecture in the town. Several scenarios are suggested to explain these radical changes, involving the economic situation of the town, its construction and mobilisation force.