The impact of local variations in climate on optimum design techniques and discomfort in dwellings of rural villages of SW China

This paper reports research to aid in the optimisation of redevelopment processes for rural villages in SW China. The stimulus for the paper came from observations of variable outcomes and from missed opportunities to incorporate better climate sensitive design. Issues arise from lack of awareness amongst some stakeholders. SW China, and particularly Yunnan Province, is taken as the focus because of the number of ethnic minorities present which affects how new skills and knowledge might be taken up in rural areas. A number of villages have been visited to collate data and observations. Villages that were identified in government programmes for potential redevelopment were chosen for study. Meteonorm Software was used to augment climate data for the sites and the Climate Consultant software used to identify most promising options for changes to design. Analysis was carried out for contemporary climate and for future climate with RCP 8.5 scenario. Outcomes suggest that new design solutions can be introduced into the palette of choices available to local stakeholder. Although climate can occasionally be extreme the design options can offer choices to avoid much discomfort, even following potential climate change. An important conclusion is the need for further support to the process to raise awareness and optimise outcomes amongst local stakeholders.