Authors

Kuzmin Alexey S.
CHINESE HISTORICAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT METHODS AND THEIR USE IN MODERN-DAY CONSTRUCTION

Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №1 (45) March, 2014

The paper attempts to use the rich experience of traditional housing in modern architecture with reference to traditional residential buildings in China. The purpose of this study is to identify traditional housing development methods which, when applied to low-rise buildings, could improve residence qualities. The text contains brief analysis of the historical types of housing in China. The basic architectural features and principles of hosing design are identified, such as the presence of a courtyard, row housing arrangement, hierarchy of architectural elements, gradation of privacy, modularity, and orientation to the cardinal directions. Certain techniques and principles have been critically reviewed to identify their positive and negative characteristics, and recommendations are given concerning possible applications in architectural design.