Why is the Loess Plateau a cave dwelling?

The architectural features and local natural environment of residential buildings in the Loess Plateau are mainly caves, because this kind of house structure has the characteristics of warm in winter and cool in summer. The caves are mostly built according to the terrain, which has strong agglomeration and fully adapts to the topographic characteristics and nature of the Loess Plateau, that is, there are thousands of valleys and serious soil erosion.

Cave dwelling is an ancient living form for the residents of the Loess Plateau in northwest China. The history of caves can be traced back to more than 4000 years ago. In the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region of China, the loess layer is very thick, some of which are tens of kilometers thick. The people of China creatively used the favorable terrain of the plateau to dig holes to live, and created cave buildings called green buildings.

Characteristics of Loess Plateau

The biggest feature of cave architecture is that it is warm in winter and cool in summer. The traditional cave space is arched in appearance. Although it is very common, in the monotonous loess background, the arc is more light and lively. This form originated from nature not only embodies the concept of circular place in traditional thought, but more importantly, the high circular arch and high windows at the door.

In winter, sunlight can further penetrate into the cave, making full use of solar radiation, and the inner space is arched, which increases the vertical space inside and makes people feel open and comfortable.

The other is a round window of about 3-4 square meters. It is characterized by warm winter and cool summer. A stone arch cave with a depth of 7-9 meters and a width of about 3 meters is called a stone cave. Brick kiln has the same style and construction method as the cave, and its appearance is beautiful.