Page 46 - JCAU-5-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Indoor photothermal environment in Miao dwellings

Figure 2. Zhushan Village. Source: Photos from the Traditional Chinese
Village Digital Museum (http://www.dmctv.cn/)
temperature recorded in brick houses in western Hunan
(Fang, 2020). It is evident that the residential houses in
western Hunan have good thermal insulation performance
in the summer, while the insulation performance in the
winter remains to be explored. Therefore, we collected data
for the winter period from January 10, 2022, to January 18, Figure 3. Air temperature monitoring instrument. Source: Photo by the
2022. Indoor parameters such as air temperature, relative authors
humidity, and indoor light were collected using Testo174H
(measurement accuracy: ±0.5℃, ±3.2%, measurement
range: −20±70℃, automatic recording every 15 min)
(Figure 3). The monitoring points were located at four
locations at 1500 mm above the floor on the outer wall
of the main entrance: the hall, the fire pit room, and the
bedroom (Figure 4), which were distributed among the
rooms and located at the ventilation openings and were
not disturbed by sunlight, while 1500 mm was the optimal
height for detection.

2.3.3. Simulation settings
A specific traditional dwelling was selected in Zhushan
Village to measure the indoor photothermal environment,
taking into consideration its localized characteristics. Figure 4. Air temperature monitoring points. Source: Drawing by the
This dwelling, constructed in 1947, has retained its authors
original architectural form without undergoing any
alterations or modifications. It exemplifies the typical (Figure 5), with the intention to objectively evaluate the
“Tun Kou” style traditional Miao residential layout difference between indoor light and heat environments
prevalent in western Hunan. As built facing south to before and after the renovation through simulation
north, the house features a courtyard in front of the software and to provide a database for subsequent targeted
entrance and is arranged with three open rooms. The updates (Juan et al., 2019). The study examines the degree
bedrooms are positioned on the eastern and western of adaptation of traditional dwellings in the Miao region
sides of the dwelling, with no partitioning between the to the local climate. The model simulates the plan form
two rooms. The perimeter walls of this dwelling are and dimensions of a typical dwelling using the building
constructed using a 600 mm thickness of rammed earth materials of the Raw Miao traditional dwelling (Table 1).
and shale, exhibiting a heat transfer coefficient of k=2.13 The results of the simulations were used to further validate
2
W/(m ·K). The exterior windows are single-pane glass the data measured in the field.
windows measuring 1200 mm × 1300 mm, while the
doors are wooden and measure 1500 mm × 2000 mm. 2.3.4. Update settings
Ventilation openings in the storage space on the first- To improve indoor light intensity, a strategic intervention
floor measure 650 mm × 550 mm. was employed to optimize the lighting environment within
Based on the field measurements of dwellings and climate the traditional residential houses by incorporating light
data, the simulation software Ecotect Analysis (2011) wells on the roof. This architectural modification was
and Designbuilder were employed for the simulations executed with the utmost care to ensure the preservation

Volume 5 Issue 2 (2023) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.403