The Tectonic Trip Through Traditional Dwellings

Tectonic that act as one method of thinking in architecture, concerns aboutconstruction always. It takes architecture as the summation of thematerial/method/course/result of construction. It doesn't talk about what meaningdoes construction make in architecture, but talks about how construction makes themeaning of architecture. The dwellings that act as a blackball in the legitimatearchitecture succeeded in its abundant continuous history by this very thinkingmethod. There are two direction that make sense in the many researches of thedwellings from the 50 or 60s in the 20th century. One is thecollection-and-re-innovation of the constitution technic of the space and material, andthe reverting-and-re-creation of the architectural language. Its precondition conformsand relies on the productive technic /the way of living and the consuming attitude.And its purpose is to carry on a lot of creation that is full of individuality by adaptingthe diversified technics. The other is the" looking backward" that starts from theenvironment and doubts the development of the contemporary industrial technic andthe way of living. It not only concerns about the construction of a building but alsocares about the factors like the society/economy and culture that extend fromconstruction and sets up an aesthetic estimation that adapts it. It's purpose is not theindividual interest of one architect, but to lead the public towards the ecology time.Here the author is trying to talk about each kind of attitude that has appeared oris still latent within the research against dwelling and to show more direction forchosen. The author believes that architects who concern about construction and theessence of architecture would abundantly give full play to the value of thedwellings----not to automatically conform and balance modernity and traditionautomatically/ the artificial and nature, but to react on the objective world throughsubjective intelligence and to build a harmony human habitation environment. Themap of architecture tomorrow is not one and confirmed. Plural talks and practices arethe most meaningful for the architects' profession. This treatise contains two parts, the first part is about the theories and the secondpart is about the practice. There are 6 chapter within the whole treatise.The 1st chapter is the introduction. It clarifies the background for the talk/ themeaning of research/ the basic way of thinking and the method of research.The 2nd chapter is the tectonic thinking of dwellings. It starts from the relationbetween the dwelling and the focus of tectonic, examines the excellent qualityreflected from the material/ making/ and detail of the dwellings, brings new thinkingfor today's design.The 3rd chapter is reference and innovation. First, the author gathers theunderstanding and the reference, and then adapts this reference to the alternativethinking of materials, with the hope of using the local technic and productivity, thenset up all kinds of creative relation between the modernity and the tradition/ theartificiality and the nature in the aspect of material structure and space.The 4th chapter is inheritate and improvement. Fist, the author talks about the naturalaccommodation of buildings and the constructional feature of natural materials in thegreen architecture theory, then researches on its construction system to give more datafor reference to today's practice.The 5th chapter is the dwelling-building practice of Xie Yingjun. The authorstarts talks from environment/ economy/ culture/ society/ technology and aesthetics,etc. and educe valuable reference from its thinking and methods.The 6th chapter is the practice in Jams Yen Rural Reconstruction Institute inZhaicheng of Hebei. Through the author's self-experiences of record and design, thereal construction process of modern dwelling is showed. here experiences are derivedand active thinking is motivated.