Page 29 - JCAU-5-2

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

Figure 14. Box model of dwellings in those four styles Source: Drawings by the authors

built with gable roofs, which incorporated architectural
features from the Chinese and Tibetan regions with a
slope of approximately 17°. Around 2000, traditional
Tibetan flat-roofed houses became prevalent due to forest
environmental protection and planning policies. In recent
years, villagers have focused on practicality rather than
appearance. Considering the pressure from rain, frost, and
snow on roofs, the roof form of the dwellings gradually
returned to gable roofs with a steeper slope of 23°, which
performs better in the local environment. Today, the slope
is slightly reduced to 21° in modern dwellings.
In terms of wall construction, traditional dwellings
have a wooden panel enclosure on the front, and the other Figure 15. Changes in the building construction in Jiuzhaigou dwellings
Source: Graph by the authors
three sides often have a rammed earthen wall outside the
wooden enclosure layer, which is approximately 40 cm aluminum-framed or Low-E glass windows are typically
thick (with an average thickness of 460 mm), with distinct used for thermal insulation and light transmission. The
layers formed by tamping every 20 cm (Li, 2016). For more specific values of indicators B and M are shown in Figure 13,
refined construction, horizontal wall reinforcements, such
as tree branches or wooden slats, are inserted into the and it can be found that the window-wall ratio increased
rammed earth, and stone masonry is used at the bottom from 3.1 percent in traditional dwellings to 12.7 percent in
of the wall depending on the foundation conditions. In modern dwellings (the maximum was up to 15.6%). With
renovated dwellings, the bottom enclosure structure adopts the emergence of accommodation functions, windows
bricks or stones with a thickness of 40 mm, thus enhancing increasingly appeared on the side and back façades. It is
the enclosure stability without changing the traditional important to note that in modern-style dwellings, due
wooden structure. Modern dwellings have adopted to the influence of style control regulations, while the
new structural systems and materials with improved decoration is returning to local characteristics, they also
performance. Since the earthquake in 2017, the materials face the problem of being over-proportioned. For example,
used in residential construction have been almost the same the value of indicator M in traditional dwellings was only
as those used in modern buildings, with the adoption of 5 percent, whereas, in modern dwellings, it has increased
more sturdy brick structures. Under the guidance of significantly to 35 percent (Figure 15). In addition, for
construction styles, the surface of the dwellings is usually the first time, a quantitative and historic study of cultural
coated with rammed earthen wall paint or a wood veneer heritage in natural heritage sites has been conducted, using
with a thickness of 280 mm. an inductive comparative approach to classify existing
In terms of doors and windows, traditional-style Tibetan dwellings, using architectural typology to obtain
dwellings have narrow (700 mm) wooden doors that are prototypes, and establishing a characteristic indicator
wide enough for one person to pass through. With the system to compare prototypes and variants horizontally.
rise of tourism, in renovated dwellings, Western-style It was found that tourism development in natural heritage
large aluminum alloy anti-theft doors with widths of sites is in full swing, and post-earthquake reconstruction is
2700 mm have replaced wooden doors. With technological underway, but tourism development has adversely affected
development, flat glass windows with traditional wood cultural heritage in heritage sites, and the direction of
carvings have gradually replaced traditional wooden post-earthquake reconstruction has deviated from the
windows. In modern-style dwellings, double-layer insulated traditional culture of Jiuzhaigou.

Volume 5 Issue 2 (2023) 12 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0880