Search Results (5)

The traditional Yikeyin dwellings in central Yunnan exhibit a distinctive spatial layout and skywell design that passively adapt to the mild plateau monsoon climate through natural ventilation. Although their courtyard-based configuration and skylight design are widely recognized for climatic adaptability, the quantitative relationship between courtyard orientation and ventilation performance remains insufficiently explored. This study integrates on-site environmental monitoring with validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to investigate how different courtyard orientations influence airflow organization and the indoor thermal environment. Based on detailed field surveys and measured data, three representative orientation schemes were established. The RNG k-ε turbulence model was adopted, and one-way coupled simulations using OpenFOAM and EnergyPlus were conducted to evaluate seasonal ventilation behavior and indoor thermal comfort. The findings reveal synergistic design principles between building orientation and courtyard spatial configuration, as well as spatial differentiation patterns contributing to thermal environment stability. Three orientation types—leeward, windward, and transitional—were identified, each demonstrating distinct advantages and limitations. The study quantitatively confirms the effectiveness of Yikeyin dwellings in utilizing natural ventilation for environmental regulation during both summer and winter seasons. These results provide scientific evidence and design support for modern buildings seeking to achieve enhanced ventilation performance and climatic adaptability. Full article

In response to global climate change, harnessing the climate-adaptive wisdom of vernacular dwellings is crucial for sustainable architectural design. This study takes Haiyan Village in the Kunming plateau area as a case study, focusing on three typical vernacular dwelling types of Yikeyin—‘Half seal’, ‘One seal’, and ‘Two seals’. Using Ladybug and Honeybee within the Rhino Grasshopper platform, a quantitative comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate their natural ventilation efficiency (characterized by Air Changes per Hour, ACH) and indoor thermal comfort (characterized by Predicted Mean Vote, PMV, and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfaction, PPD). The results indicate the following: (1) Throughout the year, the ‘Two seals’ dwelling type exhibits the most stable diurnal temperature variation, while the ‘Half seal’ dwelling type shows the greatest fluctuation in its diurnal temperature range. (2) The summer ACH values for ‘Half seal’, ‘One seal’, and ‘Two seals’ dwelling types are 3.8~4.5, 1.5~2.9, and 0.8~1.6, while the winter values are 1.9~2.6, 1.3~1.8, and 0.7~1.0. The ventilation efficiency in summer is generally higher than that in winter, and it shows a significant decreasing trend as building volume increases. (3) The summer PPD values for ‘Half seal’, ‘One seal’, and ‘Two seals’ dwelling types are 12%, 18%, and 35%, while the winter values are 22%, 15%, and 12%. (4) The ‘One seal’ dwelling type exhibits good ventilation and thermal comfort throughout the year. The ‘Half seal’ demonstrates the best ventilation and thermal comfort in summer but poorer thermal comfort in winter. The ‘Two seals‘ dwelling type achieves the best thermal comfort in winter, but lower ventilation efficiency, while in summer, both thermal comfort and ventilation are poor. This study not only addresses the gap in the quantitative assessment of climate adaptability in vernacular dwellings but also provides critical data support and a theoretical basis for the scientific preservation, adaptive renewal, and sustainable inheritance of vernacular architecture in the context of climate change. Full article

Under the dual challenges of global energy crisis and climate change, the building sector, as a major carbon emitter consuming 33% of global primary energy, has seen its energy efficiency optimization become a critical pathway towards achieving carbon neutrality goals. The Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR), serving as a core parameter in building envelope design, directly influences building energy consumption, with its optimized design playing a decisive role in balancing natural daylighting, ventilation efficiency, and thermal comfort. This study focuses on the traditional One-Seal dwellings (Yikeyin) in Kunming, China, establishing a dynamic wind field-thermal environment coupled analysis framework to investigate the impact mechanism of window dimensions (WWR and aspect ratio) on indoor thermal comfort under natural wind conditions in transitional climate zones. Utilizing the Grasshopper platform integrated with Ladybug, Honeybee, and Butterfly plugins, we developed parametric models incorporating Kunming’s Energy Plus Weather meteorological data. EnergyPlus and OpenFOAM were employed, respectively, for building heat-moisture balance calculations and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulations, with particular emphasis on analyzing the effects of varying WWR (0.05–0.20) on temperature-humidity, air velocity, and ventilation efficiency during typical winter and summer weeks. Key findings include, (1) in summer, the baseline scenario with WWR = 0.1 achieves a dynamic thermal-humidity balance (20.89–24.27 °C, 65.35–74.22%) through a “air-permeable but non-ventilative” strategy, though wing rooms show humidity-heat accumulation risks; increasing WWR to 0.15–0.2 enhances ventilation efficiency (2–3 times higher air changes) but causes a 4.5% humidity surge; (2) winter conditions with WWR ≥ 0.15 reduce wing room temperatures to 17.32 °C, approaching cold thresholds, while WWR = 0.05 mitigates heat loss but exacerbates humidity accumulation; (3) a symmetrical layout structurally constrains central ventilation, maintaining main halls air changes below one Air Change per Hour (ACH). The study proposes an optimized WWR range of 0.1–0.15 combined with asymmetric window opening strategies, providing quantitative guidance for validating the scientific value of vernacular architectural wisdom in low-energy design. Full article

As climate challenges intensify, architectural design must reconcile energy efficiency with environmental adaptation. This study investigates how two skywell geometries in Kunming’s traditional One-Seal dwellings (Yikeyin) optimize seasonal thermal and ventilation performance. Combining field analysis and simulations, a comparative analysis of skywell depth-to-width ratios reveals that larger proportions enhance summer airflow but exacerbate winter heat loss, while smaller ratios stabilize winter conditions. Vertical thermal stratification highlights distinct microclimates across floors, with skywells exhibiting pronounced seasonal fluctuations. The findings affirm the climate-responsive intelligence embedded in vernacular architecture, demonstrating its relevance for contemporary sustainable design. By bridging traditional wisdom and modern green building practices, this work advances strategies for climate-resilient architecture and rural habitat enhancement, prioritizing both ecological balance and human comfort. Full article

To improve the seismic performance of Chinese traditional wood-structure houses, this paper proposes to strengthen their mortise and tenon joints by applying an innovative metal damper. According to the dimensions of the “Yikeyin” wood-structure houses in the Tonghai area of Yunnan Province, two groups of six samples of three types of mortise and tenon joints were manufactured, in which one group was mounted with dampers made of Q235 steels. Subsequently, a low-cycle repeated loading test was conducted to examine the overall behavior of these joints. Various characteristics of seismic performance indexes, such as the moment–rotation hysteresis curve, skeleton curve, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation capacity, residual amount of tenon and the removal before and after reinforcements of straight, penetrated and dovetail tenon joints were analyzed. The test results show that these tenons exhibit good deformation capacity, their hysteresis curves became fuller and their “pinch” effects were significantly reduced, all after their joints became strengthened, indicating that their joint slips were reduced during the loading processes and their residual amounts of tenon removals were under effective control. Compared with the blank group, the joint stiffness was substantially improved, and the increase in the reverse stiffness turned greater than that of the positive stiffness at each stage of loading, while the degradation curve of the whole joint stiffness became steeper. After mounting the dampers, the bearing capacity and energy dissipation of the joints were significantly improved, the equivalent viscous damping coefficients of the straight and penetrated tenon joints were increased, but that of the dovetail joint was slightly reduced. These study results can provide a reference for the reinforcement and protection of traditional wood-structure houses. Full article