Sustainable Building Practice and Guidance for Dai Villages, Southwest China

This paper studies the Dai houses and villages in Xishangbanna, Southwest China. Dai is one of 55 ethnic minorities in China. By comparing the field study of Dai houses carried out in the 1990s and the field study for two villages in 2017, the research investigates two key aspects. Firstly, it considers the influence of new building materials and technologies and impacts brought in by rapid urbanization, together with changes in the traditional integrated relationship between houses, village environment, and surrounding environment. Three key impacts on rural development in the region were identified. Secondly, the project explores the development of the research methods for vernacular houses in China. The focuses of investigation, starting from anthropological studies in the 1950s, now include greater consideration of environmental context. Research found that architects and academic scholars can support the interface between policy, academic studies and practices on rural development for decision-making. Medium term planning is needed in order to provide link between current practice and long term sustainable aims.