Page 23 - JCAU-5-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Style evolution rules of Tibetan dwellings

Table 2. Indicator system for quantitative analysis
Type of characteristic Iconic indicators Characteristic calculation indicators
indicators Name Formula Notes
Plan Area of production space (m ) Proportion of functional a i a: Area of functional space (m )
2
2
i
2
Area of living space (m ) spaces (P) P = A A: Total construction area (m )
2
Area of spirituality space (m )
2
Area of storage space (m )
2
Structure Height (m) Dwelling form ratio W: D:H W: Total width (m)
Total width (m) D: Total depth (m)
H: Height (m)
Total depth (m)
Floors
2
Constitution Typical windows (mm) Façade window-wall T T: Exterior window area (m )
2
Entrance door (mm) ratio (B) B G 100 % G: Exterior wall area (m )
Wall thickness (mm) Front façade rammed s s : Rammed earth material area on
i
2
earth material ratio (M) M i 100 % the front elevation (m )
S
S: Front elevation area (m )
2
A B C D

Figure 7. Illustration of typical dwelling features of traditional dwellings. (A) Appearance; (B) construction; (C) structure; (D) floor plan showing
functional zones. Source: Photos and drawing by the authors

considered a vernacular expression of the traditional a house made of wood — and is wrapped in compressed
Tibetan lifestyle in Jiuzhaigou. Regarding the building plan, earthen walls on its left, rear, and right sides. A beam rests
this type of dwelling is mostly rectangular, with a depth on it, with the beam-column connection mostly adopting
greater than the width, and it has 3 stories dominated by a two-beam connection, and the floorboards are made of
inner corridors. The internal functional areas are usually wood (Zhang, 2017). The wall base thickness is 1.2–1.4 m,
divided into the ground floor, which is usually used for and the top mountain wall is 400–600 mm. The structural
storing farm implements and livestock farming; the middle system and key components in Jiuzhaigou are very
floor, which is usually enclosed and used for living; and the different from those of typical Ming and Qing dynasty
top floor, which is usually used for storage or guest rooms. wooden structures in southern China, but it is similar
The middle floor is the core part of the house with featured to other Tibet-related dwellings in western Sichuan
spaces such as fire-ponds (a kind of Chinese fireplace) and (Chun et al., 2019). The walls of Tibetan dwellings in
flat roofs (e.g., for drying clothes). The top floor may also the Jiuzhaigou Valley have an upward division, with an
have a sutra area or flat roof and often appears to be low obvious division on the outside and mostly vertical on
and cramped because of the irregular spatial form and the inside (Cao, 2016). The middle and top layers use the
low height (Chen, 2017), such as in Lang Jiebo’s house and column and tie wooden construction commonly used in
Gega’s house in Zhengshu Village. The floors are connected traditional dwellings of Han ethnicity but do not use a
by single log ladders with Tibetan characteristics, consisting connecting edge pillar. Instead, only the ridge and eaves
of zigzag steps chiseled from a log that leans against the beams are used in the peripheral protection structure on
upper floor and is placed outdoors (Wu et al., 2022). both sides and the center. Traditional mortise and tenon

In constructing the dwellings, the first floor uses a well- joint system is used in the wall-column connection simply.
pole wooden structure—“Beng Kou” in Tibetan, meaning In some cases, the roof ridge and diagonal beams are tied

Volume 5 Issue 2 (2023) 6 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0880