Page 47 - JCAU-5-2

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

Table 1. Material parameter performance of traditional housing envelope
Type of building envelop Construction method Material thermal index
Thickness Density Specific heat Heat conductivity
3
(mm) (kg/m ) (kJ/[kg·K]) (W/[m·K])
External wall (outside-to-inside) 300 mm clay brick 600 1800 1050 0.81
Partition wall 10 mm wooden board 20 500 2510 0.17
Roof (outside-to-inside) 6 mm gray tile roofs 80 2300 1050 0.96
20 mm wooden board 20 500 2510 0.17
Exterior door 10 mm wooden door 40 550 2510 0.17
Interior door 10 mm wooden door 20 500 2510 0.17
Floor 20 mm rammed earth 200 1800 884 0.72

A B

Figure 5. (A) Simulation model in Ecotect Analysis software. (B) Simulation model in Designbuilder software. Source: Drawings by the authors
of the original façade shape and window dimensions. By
adhering to these design considerations, the fundamental
esthetic elements associated with the traditional
architectural heritage of residential houses in the region
were respected and safeguarded (Figure 6).

At the same time, to improve the indoor thermal
environment, we renewed the interior of the maintenance
structure of the traditional house, based on the premise of
preserving and passing on its regional culture. We added
polyurethane and wood panels with varnish veneer on the
inside of the envelope and attached them to the wall with
wood rivets and bolts (Figure 7). Figure 6. Lightwell setting. Source: Drawing by the authors
3. Results

3.1. Actual measurement results
3.1.1. Dwelling form
Most of the traditional Miao dwellings in the western
Hunan region are composed of wooden frames and earth
and stone exterior walls, and the buildings consist of a main
dwelling and an annex, which have “I,” “L,” and “U” forms
(Table 2). The main dwelling has three rooms and one
hall, with the middle room facing backward one column,
forming a “swallowed mouth” type main dwelling plan.
The original Miao dwelling has only one fire pit, located Figure 7. Wall update settings. Source: Drawing by the authors

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