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Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Indoor wind environment in buildings for Qinghai-Tibet plateau of China

activities on a daily basis. According to the Global Energy forming a sustainable and symbiotic relationship with
Consumption Report issued by the United Nations (Global nature.
Energy Consumption Report, 2020), the building industry Thus, the definition of vernacular architecture
currently accounts for more than 45% of global energy encompasses architectural form, cultural and societal
consumption, with a continuing upward trend. In an significance, and its relationship with the environment.
era where sustainable development and environmental Understanding and exploring vernacular architecture
protection are receiving increasing attention, the energy facilitates a deeper appreciation and preservation of this
efficiency of buildings has become a critical field of study, important cultural heritage while providing valuable
particularly in the face of the rapid urbanization occurring insights and references for contemporary architectural
worldwide. On the Tibetan plateau, vernacular architecture practice.
has evolved to mitigate the impact of the region’s harsh
environment, especially in terms of interior design. These Vernacular architecture, as an integral part of human
climate-adaptive building techniques have been passed architectural activities, embodies rich cultural connotations
down through generations, integrating seamlessly with and life wisdom, reflecting a harmonious coexistence
the local cultural environment to provide inhabitants between humans and nature. However, in contemporary
with suitable living conditions (Wang et al., 2020). These architectural practice, the focus on modernization has often
structures, referred to as vernacular architecture, represent led to the marginalization of vernacular architecture, with
a unique response to environmental challenges. its traditional techniques and environmental adaptability
being insufficiently recognized. Therefore, in-depth
Vernacular architecture, as a form of building, research and exploration of vernacular architecture are
embodies a close integration of local culture and particularly important.
environment, serving as a vivid manifestation of regional
characteristics and societal identity (Gyaltsan, 2009). The Research methods on vernacular architecture mainly
definition of vernacular architecture encompasses multiple include field investigation, field mapping, questionnaire
considerations and interpretations. Within existing survey, and digital simulation. With the development
architectural studies and related research, vernacular of computer technology, digital simulation has become
architecture is typically defined as buildings constructed increasingly prevalent in the study of vernacular
by local communities or cultural groups using traditional architecture (Baimu & Qing, 2020; Huang et al., 2016;
techniques, materials, and methods. These structures Wang et al., 2018). For example, computational fluid
often reflect the characteristics of local culture, society, dynamics (CFDs) plays an important role in analyzing
and environment, with their form, structure, and function the ventilation environments of vernacular architecture.
designed to meet the specific needs of local residents. Therefore, this article focuses on the application of CFD
in vernacular architecture. Research on the application of
From the perspective of architectural form, vernacular CFD in this field primarily addresses the following aspects:
architecture often exhibits a simple appearance and structure, (i) Basis for architectural design: Researchers extensively
reflecting the local population’s pursuit of practicality and explore the application of CFD in architecture,
adaptability to their living environment. These buildings including the analysis of internal airflow distribution,
often utilize locally available materials such as earth, wood, indoor ventilation effects (Fang, 2020), thermal
and stone, constructed using simple building techniques comfort, and energy utilization efficiency (He et al.,
and traditional craftsmanship, embodying a philosophy of 2020). CFD simulations enable precise numerical
harmonious coexistence with nature. Furthermore, from a analysis of airflow within buildings, providing
cultural and societal perspective, vernacular architecture is a scientific basis for architectural design and
not only a physical architectural form but also a symbol improvement (Ryu, 2009).
of cultural identity and social heritage. These buildings (ii) Optimization of existing buildings: Various methods
carry rich cultural connotations and societal values, and techniques, including CFD-based simulations of
reflecting the local people’s lifestyle, beliefs, and values. indoor and outdoor airflow, wind pressure analysis,
They hold significant historical and cultural significance. and wind tunnel experiments, are used to evaluate the
Moreover, vernacular architecture is closely tied to its local wind environment of buildings under different wind
environment. Designed with attention to local climate, speeds and directions (He, 2021). These techniques
topography, and available resources, these buildings help optimize architectural design by analyzing wind
exhibit strong environmental adaptability. They not only environments (Yu et al., 2019).
provide comfortable living environments for residents but (iii) Study on wind environment and thermal comfort:
also integrate harmoniously with the natural surroundings, Researchers investigate the relationship between

Volume 6 Issue 4 (2024) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.2396