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!!