Hypocaust (Heat from Below) was a Roman engineering design that was used to heat both public and private buildings throughout the empire. The floor was raised on brick pillars and ventilation flues were built into the walls. Heat via a fire was produced and allowed to flow under the floors and out the flues heating the entire area through the floor. This radiant heat is clean and efficient. With the fall of Rome in the 5th Century, this technique of heating homes through the floor was lost in the Western World until the late 20th Century.
These pictures are of the remains of the hypocaust system found in the great baths of Wroxeter England.
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ReplyDeleteA hypocaust was an ancient Roman system of underfloor heating, used to heat houses with hot air. Hypocausts were used for heating hot baths, houses and other buildings, whether public or private. The floor was raised above the ground by pillars, called pilae stacks, with a layer of tiles then a layer of concrete then another of tiles on top. Thank you...
Ceiling Heaters