CASE STUDY ON
VARNACULAR
ARCHITECTURE OF
CHINA
PRESENTED BY: JITENDRA KHATRI
INTRODUCTION
• HARBIN - SEVERE COLD REGION
• BEIJING - COLD REGION
• WUHAN - HOT SUMMER AND COLD WINTER REGION
• KUNMING - MODERATE REGION
• HAIKOU - HOT SUMMER AND MILD WINTER REGION
KUNMING
KUNMING- THE CAPITAL OF YUNNAN PROVIENCE
LOCATED AT SOUTHERN PART OF CHINA
102-103°N LONGITUDE AND BETWEEN 24- 26° N LALTITUDE
AREA: 15,567 KM2
POPULATION: 4 MILLION
ALTITUDE: 1900 M ABOCE SEA LEVEL
MODERATE REGION
• TEMPERATURE: MOSTLY REMAIN WITHIN OR CLOSE TO
COMFORT ZONE
• ANNUAL MEAN TEMPERATURE: 16° C
• ANNUAL RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 64%
• ANNUAL AVG SOALAR RADIATION: 6.4 HOURS PER DAY
• ANNUAL PRECIPATION: 901MM
• GLOBAL SOLAR RADIATION( MONTHLY): 100-165 KWH/M²
• ALTITUDE: 1000-3500 M MSL
SETTLEMENT PATTERN
• GROWTH SETTLEMENT IS BASED ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL
FEATURES OF YUNNAN
• GENERALLY EXTENDS OR GROWS GRADUALLY ALONG RIVERS
ONE SIDE OR BOTH SIDES
• THE DIRECTION OF DWELLINGS GOES WITH THE RIVER SYSTEM.
• THE VARIATION OF STREET SPACE IS RICH AND NATURAL
• THE GROWTH OF THE SETTLEMENT COMPLIES WITH NATURAL
FACTORS SUCH AS MICRO-TOPOGRAPHY AND FOREST
FARMLAND
• BASED ON TOPOGRAPHY, THE TRADITIONAL SETTLEMENT TAKES
ADVANTAGE OF ALL KINDS OF NATURAL FACTORS SUCH AS WIND
DIRECTION, DAYLIGHT, AIR AND HYDROLOGY TO BUILD A
HARMONIOUS SETTLEMENT LAYOUT
FIGURE 1: THE TEXTURE OF THE LINE- FIGURE 2: THE TEXTURE OF A GROUP
SHAPE GROWTH SETTLEMENT GROWTH TYPE SETTLEMENT
FIGURE 3: THE TEXTURE OF A GROWTH TYPE
ALONG A MOUNTAINOUS CONTOUR LINE
PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF
BUILDINGS
THE VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE FOR THIS REGION
IS PRIMARILY BASED ON TIMBER CONSTRUCTION
AS TIMBER IS THE MOST COMMON AND LOCALLY
AVAILABLE BUILDING MATERIAL
HOUSES CONSIST OF A SMALL STRUCTURE WITH
THREE TO FIVE ROOMS
ALL ASPECTS OF DAILY LIFE AND ACTIVITIES ARE
CARRIED OUT AT THE FIRST FLOOR LEVEL
MOREOVER, THIS STRUCTURE KEEPS THE
DAMPNESS AWAY FROM THE STRUCTURE AS WELL
AS MAKING IT LESS VULNERABLE TO ROBBERY AND
ATTACKS BY WILD ANIMALS
WENG DING ANCIENT VILLAGE
LOCATED IN MENG JIAO TOWN, ABOUT 40
KILOMETERS FROM CANGYUAN COUNTY,
YUNNAN PROVINCE
TYPICAL HILL SETTLEMENT OF THE WA
NATIONALITY
THE VILLAGE STILL RETAINS THE ORIGINAL
WA ETHNIC DWELLINGS OF STILTED WOOD
STRUCTURE
ONE OF THE MOST WELL-PRESERVED
PRIMITIVE VILLAGES
IN THE VILLAGE, THERE ARE ABOUT 98
HOUSEHOLDS WITH OVER 400 WA PEOPLE
FIGURE: OUTLOOK OVER WENG DING VILLAGE
CULTURE AND TRADITIONS
THE OX IS THE TOTEM OF WA PEOPLE
WA PEOPLE ADMIRE OX AND REGARD IT AS FORTUNE
PEOPLE TAKE THE NUMBER OF OX-HEAD SHAPED PILE AS A
WAY TO JUDGE THE POOR OR THE RICH
THE THATCHED COTTAGES IN THE WENGDING VILLAGE ARE
OLD AND MYSTERIOUS
THE POLE STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VILLAGE
REMAINS AFTER THE ORIGINAL TOTEM WORSHIP.
IN ANCIENT TIMES, IT WAS REGARDED AS THE SYMBOL OF
TRIBE, ALSO A SITE FOR RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES, MILITARY USE
AND TRIBE MEETING.
THE WA PEOPLE TAKE THE WOODEN DRUM MAKING DAY AS
A GRAND FESTIVAL, WHICH IS CALLED “PULLING WOODEN
DRUM”
PHYSICAL FEATURES
TWO-STORY HOUSE
THE TOTAL HEIGHT IS AROUND 6.45 M AND THE DEPTH
AND WIDTH SIZE IS 6.55 M BY 5.35 M
UPPER FLOOR WALLS ARE FLAT BAMBOO STRIPS
SLOPING ROOF IS COVERED WITH STRAW
THE MAIN SECTION SIZE OF THE COLUMN VARIED FROM
120 MM BY 120 MM TO 200 MM BY 200 MM
THE MAIN SECTION SIZE OF THE HORIZONTAL MEMBER
BEAM IN THE MODEL WAS FROM 100 MM BY 100 MM
TO 100 MM BY 150 MM
PEOPLE USE THE GROUND FLOOR FOR FEEDING
LIVESTOCK AND THE UPPER ONE FOR ACCOMMODATION
REFERENCES
Yu Bai, Jing Gao, Adrian Pitts, Yun Gao, Wenfeng Bai and Zhong Tao. Improving the
Sustainability of Traditional Dwellings in Yunnan, China: Seismic Resistance Testing of Wood-
frame and Earth-Built Wall Dwellings
L. Wang & Z. Yang. Evaluation of sustainable vernacular architecture and settlements in Yunnan
Feifei Sun. Chinese Climate and Vernacular Dwellings
http://www.chinatravelpage.com/wengding-wa-village-in-yunnan-chinas-last-primitive-tribe
THANK YOU!!
