The Environmental Suitability Of Enclosure Of Vernacular Dwellings In Northeast China From The Material Perspective

Northeast China is located in the severe cold climate area of the country,highly demanding the windproof and thermal insulation performance of residential houses in winter.Given extreme climates,local residents use locally sourced construction materials for building creation,forming a low-cost,low-tech,and environmentally suitable residential building pattern,which virtually meets the needs during winter months with reduced building energy consumption.Today,with people’s diversified requirements for internal functions,the compact layout of the traditional dwellings is insufficient for modern needs.The modernization of the vernacular dwellings enclosure in Northeast China is the focus of research on the cultural continuation of the traditional dwellings,and the environmental suitability of the enclosure is particularly important.From a material perspective,this paper was intended to summarize the structural pattern and building experience of the enclosure of the vernacular dwellings in Northeast China and analyze the environmental suitability,so as to propose measures for optimizing the shortcomings.Starting with the basic construction materials,the regional value and relationship between the vernacular materials and the traditional dwellings were explored,and the characterized patterns of the facades of local dwellings were structurally systemized,thereby providing the practical construction standards for the development and preservation of the vernacular dwellings in Northeast China.Meanwhile,new ideas were offered for the high-pollution construction in rural areas in Northeast China to resolve the conflicts between industrial construction pollution and vulnerable ecological environment.Taking the enclosure of the vernacular dwellings in Northeast China as the subject,this paper employed approaches including theoretical interpretation,summary and induction,qualitative and quantitative analysis,and optimization and expansion to:(1)interpret the architectural concepts of and existing studies on vernacular dwellings in Northeast China;(2)adopt the typological methods to summarize the types and features of the vernacular construction materials commonly used in Northeast China,categorize the vernacular dwellings based on the main construction materials of the walls,and analyze the influencing factors and modernization constraints in their construction;(3)use the induction method to summarize the building patterns and typical structures of vernacular materials used in dwelling enclosure in Northeast China;(4)analyze the environmental suitability of the sample dwellings and identify the thermal weaknesses through field survey and measurement,so as to perform thermal calculation for each typical structure through BESC software,to assess whether it meets the requirements of the current specifications,and to propose an optimization plan;and(6)propose optimization strategies and improvement methods in terms of material improvement,construction strategy,technical optimization,thermal optimization,and aesthetic improvement by combining the actual cases,in order to enhance the environmental suitability of materials and structures and facilitate further study on the sustainable development of the vernacular dwellings’ enclosure in Northeast China.The declining techniques of constructing the vernacular dwellings’ enclosure based on regional materials in Northeast China can be primarily attributed to the weak initiative of application and the outdated structural techniques,both of which hindering each other in a vicious circle.In this paper,through quantification of the construction techniques of the vernacular materials and enclosure in Northeast China,it can be found that,ideally,the traditional construction structures can partially or fully meet the requirements of today’s green building standards,as well as those for structural strength and thermal comfort in cold regions in China.For the subsequent optimization strategy,the fully qualified structures should be optimized with technical approaches such as structural anti-cracking treatment and sealing treatment to make their actual state as close to the ideal state as possible.The partially qualified structures should be technically improved,while extracting and summarizing the building techniques that can still meet the contemporary needs.Without undermining the regional cultural context,modern techniques are introduced for improvement to ensure that the overall structure meets the specifications.On the basis of improved structural strength and thermal comfort,optimizing designs are carried out to strengthen the emotional bond between buildings and people and emphasize the local aesthetic characteristics of dwellings.As a result,the residents’ initiative to use will be enhanced.In an attempt to fundamentally improve the environmental suitability of the vernacular dwellings ’enclosure in Northeast China,this study explored the practicality of spontaneous regeneration of regional materials and their construction techniques in modern construction activities.It can contribute to the research and development in regenerative development of the vernacular construction as well as the related fields in China.