Regionality of Residential Buildings —— Taking Loess Plateau as an Example

The emergence and evolution of architecture is developed on the basis of nature and culture. The development of the earth's history has natural regionality, and then the development of human history has cultural regionality. Therefore, regionality is the objective law of architecture and the soul. China has a vast territory, diverse natural environment, a long history and a long history of culture. Starting from their daily life, customs and aesthetic tastes, people from different regions have created a variety of residential buildings suitable for local conditions, which is really "one side of the soil and water supports one side." However, under the impact of western architectural culture recently, the phenomenon of "convergence" of residential buildings is very common. The cloning of overseas big cities, small overseas cities, inland coastal areas and small township cities is no longer the only one. This is sad. We should eradicate the root causes, strengthen the study of regional architecture, combine traditional architectural experience with modern science and technology, and make residential buildings fully reflect local material, spiritual, economic, artistic and scientific technology.

First, the natural foundation of architecture.

Nature is the foundation of architecture, so we should know, respect and make use of nature, and walk away from people, architecture and nature in harmony.

1) Climate: Loess Plateau, coldest in winter 1, monthly average temperature -0.6 ~- 10℃, hottest in summer in July, monthly average temperature 16 ~ 27℃. The annual precipitation is between 220-770mm, the rainfall is concentrated in summer, and the freezing depth is generally between 0.2-1.35 m.

2) Landform: The landform of the Loess Plateau is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with Taihang Mountain in the east, Qinling Mountain in the south and Qilian Mountain in the west, and only the north is not separated by mountains. In this vast land, it is divided by many mountains of different sizes, which constitute many loess mountainous areas with their own characteristics, such as Longxi Plateau, Shaanxi-Gansu Plateau, Guanzhong Basin, Taiyuan Basin and Luo Yi Basin. In these areas, there are unique valleys, terraces, watersheds, plateaus, hills, gullies and steep cliffs, as well as secondary gullies, gullies and terraces, beams and promontories. Cities are located on terraced fields, and villages and towns are located on plateaus and steep cliffs on both sides of ravines.

3) Rock and soil: The loess plateau is characterized by a wide distribution of loess. Loess can be divided into collapsible loess and non-collapsible loess: collapsible loess is mainly Malan loess in late Pleistocene and modern loess in Holocene; Non-collapsible loess is mainly Lishi loess in the middle Pleistocene and Wucheng loess in the early Pleistocene. For ground buildings, collapsible loess is a special foundation soil, which is a geological disaster because of its large area exposed on the ground and great influence. Since the construction of Northwest China in 1950s, we have formulated building codes to ensure the smooth development of construction. For underground buildings, loess is a good surrounding rock of cavern. The existence of numerous and long-standing loess caves shows that when we were inland building in the mid-1960s, we made use of this unique loess condition to carry out experimental research on industrial loess caves and compiled technical regulations to meet the needs of construction at that time.

4) Groundwater: The groundwater in the Loess Plateau belongs to loose sedimentary pore water, and it is buried deeply in the plateau area, generally between 30 and 80 meters ... The groundwater burial conditions in the valley area are very complicated, generally less than 20 meters, and generally shallows from high-order terrace to low-order terrace. The burial conditions of groundwater in the Loess Plateau are related to the existence of collapsible loess foundation and loess caves. Loess caves and collapsible loess are only possible in loess layer without groundwater. On the contrary, the loess layer with groundwater has neither loess caves nor collapsible loess.

5) Dynamic Geology: The geological disasters in the Loess Plateau are mainly characterized by loess karst, gully, landslide and collapse, and the valley areas mainly include mountain torrents, mudslides, floods, manholes, ancient tombs and artificial soil. Although earthquakes are mainly distributed in the valley fault zone, they spread widely and are often related to landslides. The entrance of loess caves is often threatened by earthquake landslides and collapses. Ground buildings are more threatened by earthquakes, because underground buildings are more resistant to earthquakes than ground buildings.

6) Building materials: The building materials in the Loess Plateau mainly include inexhaustible loess, which is used as adobe, soil arch and rammed earth wall, and loess holes are dug in the loess layer and burned into bricks. As for cement, steel, glass and other materials, these are industrial products with high energy consumption.

Second, the cultural accumulation of architecture.

Architecture is solidified and alive, which contains strong humanistic thoughts and is the carrier of culture. Through the physical form of the building, such as layout, structure, shape, style, ecology, etc. , can reflect the combination of traditional concepts and modern spirit of regional culture, health culture, aesthetic culture, enhance people's taste.

1. Architectural layout

The architectural layout is mainly restricted by functions, such as being close to water sources, convenient transportation, striving for sunshine, preventing cold and heatstroke, and being beneficial to production and life. The ancestors of the Loess Plateau began to settle on river terraces, such as the ruins of banpo village. Up to now, the population is concentrated in cities with terraces, terraces are strip-shaped flat land, and the layout of cities is strip-shaped. Agricultural production is limited by farming radius, so farmers move to plateau and hills. Most settlements live on steep cliffs with ravines, and the characteristics of architectural layout can be seen by digging loess caves.

2. Building structure

1) loess cave structure, the vault of loess cave is generally semicircular or elliptic curve, with no lining or protective lining inside and doors and windows on the front. The width of the cave body is generally 2.7~4.2m, the depth is generally more than 8m, and the clear height is generally 2.6 ~ 4.5m The chimney of the fire-resistant kang or stove in the cave room passes through the top soil layer to the outside. Caves are usually dug on steep cliffs in loess gullies, and some of them are also dug. Now with the development of economy, the structure of loess caves has also made progress. Some are lined with brick cement, similar to industrial loess caves. Bricks are also used to build cave surfaces, making loess caves more solid, safe and beautiful.

2) There are the following types of ground building structures: ① Civil structures, generally using simple beams and columns to transfer the upper load, using adobe or rammed walls for enclosure, and generally using adobe for partition. The roof has a large slope, which inclines to the patio side and is covered with thatch for waterproofing. (2) Brick-wood structure, in which the upper load is transmitted by wooden frame and enclosed by brick wall, or the upper load is shared by wooden column and brick wall. The interior is generally separated by bricks and adobe, and the roof is a sloping roof covered with green tiles. This is the structural form of traditional wealthy families. (3) Brick-concrete structure, with the development of building materials production, the number of brick-concrete structure buildings is increasing year by year, and the form is constantly changing, with brick walls bearing reinforced concrete beam-slab structures; Brick wall lateral load-bearing, round hole hollow floor and laminated structure. , are the structural forms of newly built houses. (4) The steel structure of reinforced concrete structure and high-rise buildings in cities are all built by these two structures. The adoption of structural form should consider the living quality and construction cost, which is in line with the sustainable development strategy and cannot be simply evaluated.

3. Architectural form and style

1) The layout of loess caves is similar to that of ground buildings. Generally, three to five holes are in the form of strip-shaped folded belt courtyard. The difference is that the horizontal partition wall between rooms is replaced by supporting soil separated by holes, which is a kind of excavation in ravines and cliffs, with a large number. The other is a well kiln. In a flat place, a patio pit is dug from top to bottom to form an open-air yard, and then the main kiln and the left and right kilns are dug on the kang wall, showing the form of one bright and two dark. People live in front, and the kilns on both sides can be used as storage rooms and livestock. All sides of the kiln can be dug, and eventually it will become a square kiln. The elevation of the loess cave is simple, the cave body is buried in the loess, and only the doors and windows on the cave surface can be seen. The external decoration area is small and there are few utensils, forming a special living landscape, which makes people have more exchanges and integration with nature, showing a unique and architectural style. In deep ravines and cliffs, there are often three or four or more caves from top to bottom. Although there are few artificial creations, it enriches this unique living landscape and architectural style, which really makes people feel back to nature.

2) The layout of ground buildings is generally in the form of three-bay, five-bay strips and folded courtyards, and there are also three courtyards and quadrangles. The main feature of facade modeling is that the roof is on the side of the external wall and the slope faces the patio, which is commonly known as "covering one side", which is very strange in Guanzhong, and other modeling is similar to that in North China. Urban residential buildings are mainly "square box" multi-storey buildings, most of which are the products of "convergence".

4. Architectural ecology

Architectural ecology is a dynamic relationship to maintain the overall harmonious relationship between architecture and nature, as well as the circular balance of material and energy. The Loess Plateau is the birthplace of Chinese culture, and the working people have made great achievements in understanding and utilizing nature. Residential buildings are a part of it, and many of them meet the ecological requirements. For example: ① In terms of climate utilization, the main rooms of ground buildings face south. In order to get sunshine in the south and prevent sandstorms in the north, so do loess caves, all of which are excavated on the sunny side of ravines to prevent sandstorms. (2) In the use of topography, the ground buildings change with the change of the surface, especially the loess caves, which are patchy with the mountains. ③ In terms of soil utilization, the loess cave is the most typical underground residential building, which is energy-saving, warm in winter and cool in summer, with stable temperature and humidity, and is suitable for people to live or preserve materials. It saves land, not only does not occupy land, but also can be used to build land; It saves materials, not only needs a small amount of protective materials, but also obtains space resources. In addition, it also has the advantages of noise prevention and radiation protection, but the more prominent advantages are low cost and convenient construction. Loess caves are buildings that ancestors have been using. Now it seems that there are many ecological factors. As long as modern science and technology are used to improve and increase the comfort of modern civilization, its ecological advantages will be further exerted. Architectural ecology is closely related to the natural, social, cultural and scientific conditions of the building area. Only by integrating the comprehensive conditions of the site can we achieve the best architectural ecology.

Three, two kinds of opinions

1) Strengthen the study of regional architecture and overcome the "convergence phenomenon" of architecture. The regionality of architecture exists objectively and is based on regional science. We should consciously use this law to serve the modernization drive. 65438-0985 According to the task of the former Rural Bureau of the Ministry of Urban and Rural Construction and Environmental Protection, we conducted a feasibility study on the comprehensive natural zoning of rural buildings. 1988 completed the research report of Comprehensive Natural Zoning of Rural Buildings in China, and initially put forward the plan of dividing the whole country into 8 districts and 37 sub-districts. Loess Plateau is one of the eight regions, which basically meets the needs of the construction industry to formulate technical policies and macro guidance for rural buildings. According to the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" project of the Ministry of Construction, we have carried out comprehensive natural zoning and construction of rural buildings in Guizhou Province in southwest China and Jiangsu Province in east China. The research reports of 1994 and 1995 provinces have been completed one after another, which not only provide reference for the provinces where they are located, but also preliminarily summarize the achievements of "Study on Comprehensive Natural Zoning of Rural Buildings and Building System" (the theory and practice of each province). Later, the pilot work was carried out in Hebei Province in North China, and the research report was completed in 200 1. In China's agricultural regionalization, the status and characteristics of rural settlements are one of the contents of agricultural regionalization, and good corresponding results have been achieved. In the field of architecture, the research on the vernacular dwellings, adobe buildings and landscape analysis of traditional villages and towns has made gratifying achievements in reflecting and summarizing the regional characteristics of China architecture. In the long-term production practice, basic planning data should be obtained at all planning stages of urban and rural construction. While sorting out and presenting these data, various zoning work should be carried out. In the survey, design, construction and use of buildings and structures, we should also consider the similarities and differences of building conditions in combination with local characteristics, so as to make their construction more realistic and achieve economic, reasonable, comfortable and beautiful. There is a lot of work experience in this field, but so far there is no effort to sum it up. In a word, the above research work and production practice reveal, enrich and deepen the connotation of regional architecture from different scopes and sides. At present, the "convergence phenomenon" of architecture is mainly in cities and less in rural areas, especially in rural areas in the central and western regions. Studying the regionality of architecture in time can improve people's understanding of local actual situation, prevent and overcome the "convergence" of architecture, and better implement the principle and method of "adapting to local conditions", which is very necessary.

2) Advocate green buildings and take the road of sustainable development. Green building is an important part of human's sustainable development strategy, and it is an architectural effort to solve major problems such as land reduction, energy crisis, resource shortage and ecological imbalance. What is a green building? According to the research of experts from Tsinghua University and China Institute of Building Science, green building refers to a building that provides healthy and comfortable working, living and activity space for human beings, and at the same time makes the most effective use of energy and minimizes the impact on the environment. According to these contents and requirements, the loess caves in the Loess Plateau meet these requirements. They are not only warm in winter and cool in summer, but also energy-saving. In buildings, they save land, energy, materials and water, and have little impact on the environment. Loess caves are very important. The proportion of urbanization in China has reached 43%. When urbanization takes off, most of the population will migrate to cities and towns. Therefore, it is very important to choose a good site and construction land in urban planning. Cities and towns in history occupied valuable cultivated land, so cities and towns can no longer occupy fertile land if they want to develop, and they must March into wasteland and poor land. High-grade land and hills in loess areas are the objects of choice. Planning is a strategic issue, and a good choice will get twice the result with half the effort. As for the design of ground buildings, we should also pursue reasonable layout and structure, pay attention to simple function and appearance, use recycled materials without luxurious decoration, so as to achieve the requirements of energy saving, land saving, material saving and water saving, and take the road of sustainable development.

refer to

Xueceng Li. 1959. Loess Plateau. Beijing: Commercial Press.

Zhai Lisheng. 1983. Overview of architectural engineering geology in collapsible loess area of China. Beijing: Science Press.

Zhai Lisheng. 200 1. Review and prospect of standardization of loess underground buildings. Selected Papers of China People (2). Beijing: People's Daily Publishing House.

(This article was originally published as "The Collection of the Eighty Birthday Celebrations of Academician Zhang Zonghu", Beijing: China Dida Press, May 2005, pp. 168 ~ 169).