The research on sustainable technology of the traditional house in the Southern area of Hubei province

Abstract

This study performed field surveys and investigated the formal and technological characteristics of traditional buildings in the Southern area of Hubei province, China, and reviewed the related historical archives and literature. This study is helpful for architects or urban administrators to understand how traditional vernacular buildings contribute to energy saving. After field surveying and mapping of these traditional buildings, this study found that the materials and the constructions of traditional buildings as well as the pattern and the layout are different from current buildings, which might lead to the high effective energy saving of traditional houses. This type of architecture can effectively improve the living environment through adjusting temperature, and improve illumination and ventilation according to the conducted testing. Also, the thermal and heat environments of traditional vernacular buildings are analyzed using BIM software. The results of the analysis demonstrate that these type of buildings can maintain great thermal and heat environment by similar building structures and materials, which also could meet the current standards in Hubei. These works demonstrate that traditional vernacular buildings could be as samples for architects when they want to make an effort on green building.

Comparing Social Sustainability: Traditional Practices in Wooden Houses with Contemporary Practices in Masonry Houses in Munshiganj

“…Since time immemorial, traditional wetland communities and their practices present the way human settlements have responded and adapted to the geographic, climatic & environmental conditions within a specific context (1). These communities have a unique way of building traditional houses that reflect the surrounding environment and everyday living behavior of their inhabitants which contributes to sustainable construction practices that have been successfully tried and tested over the years (2,3).…”

“…These communities have a unique way of building traditional houses that reflect the surrounding environment and everyday living behavior of their inhabitants which contributes to sustainable construction practices that have been successfully tried and tested over the years (2,3). Though the age-old inhabitants were not equipped with technology for constructing buildings, the use of their inherited wisdom and methods to adapt to the hot-humid climatic conditions provided comfortable living spaces with low energy consumption (1). Within the Munshiganj area in Bangladesh, the traditional wood structures are a response to their rare association with social, economic and environmental activities.…”

How BIM Contributes to a Building’s Energy Efficiency throughout Its Whole Life Cycle: Systematic Mapping

“…The application of BIM technologies involves not only the planning, design, construction and monitoring of new buildings to increase their energy efficiency, as open BIM technologies can efficiently integrate energy conservation measure data into BEP simulation models during the refurbishment of buildings [10]. Therefore, the optimal solution for the retrofitting scenario can be obtained more efficiently [22,23]. Furthermore, 3D urban-scale building energy prediction platforms are used to provide faster and better design solutions with improved building energy efficiency for urban planning, new constructions and building retrofits [24].…”