Structural Integrity Modelling of an Early Bronze Age “Corridor House” in Helike of Achaea, NW Peloponnese

Structural integrity modelling and simulation studies were performed on the Helike Corridor House (HCH), a monumental building excavated at the Early Helladic (EH) site of Ancient Helike on the NW Peloponnese, Greece. The aims of the research were to explore building materials and plan alterations of an earlier phase into an EH II-III period Corridor House. Static load analysis followed by buckling (failure) analysis was simulated using ANSYS. Results demonstrate that buckling would develop in the narrow corridor area, being the critical spot in the structure due to its configuration of long tall sidewalls. It is shown that when stairs are introduced, the structure becomes less susceptible to buckling. We conclude that the doubling of the outer walls was a high structural and functional technical innovation which required specialized knowledge on planning and construction highlighting the critical role architecture played in response to upcoming social transformations.