Self-adaptability and topological deformation of Ganlan architectural heritage: Conservation and regeneration of Lianghekou Tujia village in Western Hubei, China

Abstract

The authenticity of architectural heritage is interpreted differently in diverse cultural traditions. Can this inspire the conservation and contemporary regeneration of architectural heritage to adapt to the changing needs of modern life and society, rather than static exhibits in museums? This research focuses on Ganlan (pile-built timber construction) architecture to demonstrate how adaptive conservation and regeneration can keep traditional construction systems living and sustainable. Ganlan, a vernacular architectural archetype in the humid subtropical regions of Asia, has the following common features: free plans with an assembling frame structure, open and interactive envelopes to cope with the hot and damp climate, and stilts to deal with the rugged terrain. This research employed a threefold method of field investigation, topological deformation, and experimental design in examining Lianghekou, a historic Tujia village in Western Hubei, China. The findings reveal that Tujia people build their stilt houses with adaptable features to meet the changing functional requirements and variable topographies. These traditions can be transmitted into the contemporary design, as our experimental design illustrates. The self-adaptability and topological deformation of Ganlan architectural heritage demonstrate a unique perspective of understanding authenticity, and contribute toward innovative application in the conservation and regeneration of vernacular architecture.

Key words： Self-adaptability; Topological deformation; Ganlan architecture; Stilt house; Lianghekou village; Vernacular architectural heritage

References

1 Collins, A., Joseph, D., Bielaczyc, K., 2004. Design research: theoretical and methodological issues. J. Learn. Sci. 13 (1), 15–42.

2 Deng, J., 2016. Cultural heritage system and coordinated protection of ancient Sichuan salt Road. J. Landsc. Res. 8 (2), 77–82 (in Chinese).

3 Design-Based Research Collaborative, 2003. Design-based research: an emerging paradigm for educational inquiry. Educ. Res. 32 (1), 5–8.

4 Gravemeijer, K., 1994. Educational development and developmental research. J. Res. Math. Educ. 25, 443–471.

5 Group Members of Traditional Settlement Research Institute of Architecture Department in Peking University, 2011. Enshi Folk Dwellings. China Architecture & Building Press, Beijing (in Chinese).

6 Henrichsen, C., 2017. Authenticity in Japan. In: Weiler, K., Gutschow, N. (Eds.), Authenticity in Architectural Heritage Conservation. Transcultural Research – Heidelberg Studies on Asia and Europe in a Global Context. Springer, Cham.

7 Kee, T., Chau, K.W., 2020. Adaptive reuse of heritage architecture and its external effects on sustainable built environment – hedonic pricing model and case studies in Hong Kong. Sustain. Dev. 28 (6).

8 Kon, W., Fujimori, T., 2018. Research on Modernologie. Flaneur Co., Ltd (in Chinese).

9 Labadi, S., 2017. UNESCO, World Heritage, and Sustainable Development: International Discourses and Local Impacts. Springer International Publishing.

10 Li, B., Li, G., 2006. Topological homeomorphic evolution of architectural form. Archit. J. 5, 51–54 (in Chinese).

11 Lu, D., 2017. Liang Ssu-cheng’s „reintegrate the aged as aged” and relevant western concepts. Time Architect. (6), 138–143 (in Chinese).

12 Nakao, S., 2006. Theory of the Lucidophyllus-Forest Belt Culture. Hokkaido University Publishing Press, Sapporo (in Japanese).

13 Oliver, P., 2003. Dwellings: the Vernacular House World Wide. Rev. Phaidon, London.

14 Oranratmanee, R., 2018. Vernacular houses of the Shan in Myanmar in the south-east Asian context. Vernac. Archit. 49, 99–120.

15 Plevoets, B., Cleempoel, K.V., 2013. Adaptive Reuse as an Emerging Discipline: a Historic Survey. Libri publishers.

16 Plevoets, B., Sowinska-Heim, J., 2018. Community initiatives as a catalyst for regeneration of heritage sites: vernacular transformation and its influence on the formal adaptive reuse practice. Cities 78, 128–139.

17 Poulios, I., 2011. Is every heritage site a „living” one? Linking conservation to communities associations with sites. Hist. Environ. 2 (2), 144–156.

18 Rapoport, A., 2005. Culture, Architecture, and Design. Architectural and Planning Research Book Series. Locke Science Pub. Co, Chicago.

19 Rashid, M., Ara, D.R., 2015. Modernity in tradition: reflections on building design and technology in the Asian vernacular. Front. Archit. Res. 4, 46–55.

20 Schumacher, P., Zheng, L., 2017. From typology to topology: social, spatial and structural. Archit. J. 11, 9–13 (in Chinese).

21 Scott, F., 2008. On Altering Architecture. Routledge, London.

22 UNESCO, November 1994. Nara Document on Authenticity [WWW Document].

23 Wang, C., Wang, Y., 2020. In search of open and inclusive arenas: transnational practice of communicative planning in Yongtai, China. Habitat Int. 106, 102288.

24 Waterson, R., 1990. The Living House: an Anthropology of Architecture in South-East Asia. Oxford University Press, New York.

25 Weiler, K., Gutschow, N., 2017. Authenticity in Architectural Heritage Conservation: Discourses, Opinions, Experiences in Europe, South and East Asia.

26 Zhang, T., 2003. Holistic Regionalism of Architecture. Southeast University Press, Nanjing (in Chinese).

27 Zhang, T., Chen, H., Jiao, J., 2015. Bamboo duck stable: a tectonic representation of mutualism between rice and duck documenting a post-graduate experimental design studio at Southeast University in 2015. Archit. J. (8), 90–98 (in Chinese).

28 Zhao, K., 2019. The Ancient Salt Road in Sichuan and Hubei Province. Southwest Jiaotong University Press, Chengdu (in Chinese).

29 Zhu, Y., 2015. Cultural effects of authenticity: contested heritage practices in China. Int. J. Herit. Stud. 21 (6), 594–608.