Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.4
3.1
Journals
Buildings
Special Issues
Traditional Construction Wisdom in Developing Regions: Sustainable Urbanization and Local-Eco...
share announcement

Traditional Construction Wisdom in Developing Regions: Sustainable Urbanization and Local-Eco Adaptation

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 6282

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Architecture, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu 610225, China
Interests: sustainably built environment; green building; renewable energy application; smart and resilient city; urban–rural interaction; regional and cultural architecture
Dr. Ahad Amini Pishro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Sichuan University of Science & Engineering, Zigong 643002, China
Interests: civil and structural engineering; transit-oriented development; machine learning in building design; sustainable construction and management
Dr. Jin Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Sichuan University of Science & Engineering, Zigong 643002, China
Interests: architectural design; green building technologies and application; HV∾ urban-rural interaction; heat and mass transfer analysis
Dr. Ying Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Fine Arts and Design, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, China
Interests: ecosystem services; spatial analysis; sustainable development; driving mechanism; coupling analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Traditional architecture in developing regions stands as a testament to human ingenuity, reflecting a profound understanding of local environmental dynamics, cultural traditions and community needs. For centuries, indigenous builders have crafted dwellings, villages and cities that seamlessly integrate with their natural surroundings, demonstrating an inherent wisdom that prioritizes sustainability, resilience and cultural continuity. However, amidst the rapid urbanization and modernization sweeping across developing regions, traditional architectural practices are facing unprecedented challenges. The allure of modernity often leads to the neglect or outright abandonment of age-old building techniques, materials and design principles. As a result, many communities are losing touch with their architectural heritage, while simultaneously grappling with pressing issues such as environmental degradation, resource scarcity and social inequality.

As such, it is of great importance to re-evaluate the role of traditional architecture in the pursuit of sustainable urbanization and ecological adaptation in developing regions. By tapping into the wealth of knowledge embedded within traditional building practices, innovative solutions to contemporary challenges can be comprehensively uncovered. Moreover, revitalizing traditional architecture not only promotes environmental sustainability, but also fosters a sense of cultural identity, social cohesion and community empowerment.

This Special Issue seeks to illuminate the intrinsic value of traditional architecture in the context of sustainable development, with a particular focus on rural, remote and underdeveloped areas. By exploring the intersection of traditional wisdom with emerging concepts such as smart technologies, regionalism and ecological resilience, we aim to inspire dialogue, innovation and action toward more inclusive and environmentally sensitively built environments. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange, we can harness the lessons of the past to inform the design, planning and governance of resilient and culturally vibrant cities and communities. By embracing the principles of traditional architecture, we can pave the way toward a more sustainable, equitable and harmonious future for all.

Dr. Yin Zhang
Dr. Ahad Amini Pishro
Dr. Jin Li
Dr. Ying Huang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • building performance
  • traditional and cultural architecture
  • remote and developing regions
  • local construction wise
  • smart and resilient communities
  • rural–urban interaction
  • regional adaptation
  • sustainable spatial planning
  • eco design cases

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 2550 KiB  
Article
Research on the Construction and Sustainable Development of Cave Dwellings in Mogou Village, Mengzhou City
by Wenhao Feng and Ying Meng
Buildings 2025, 15(9), 1460; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15091460 - 25 Apr 2025
Abstract
Cave dwellings in the Loess Plateau and western Henan region are ancient architectural forms that offer significant potential for rural revitalization and cultural heritage preservation. This study examines their role in Mogou Village through field surveys and mathematical analysis, highlighting their contributions to [...] Read more.
Cave dwellings in the Loess Plateau and western Henan region are ancient architectural forms that offer significant potential for rural revitalization and cultural heritage preservation. This study examines their role in Mogou Village through field surveys and mathematical analysis, highlighting their contributions to urban–rural integration, rural tourism, and cultural sustainability. Key findings include the mean radiant temperature (MRT) in cave dwellings remaining stable between 22.7–25.9 °C, facilitating lower indoor temperatures in summer. These dwellings maintain an APMV within the Class I thermal environment (−0.5 ≤ APMV ≤ 0.5), achieving a 90% satisfaction rate for thermal comfort. Despite excellent thermal insulation, improvements in ventilation design are necessary. Moreover, cave dwellings attract urban residents, fostering urban–rural integration and rural tourism development. They also preserve cultural heritage through traditional construction techniques and philosophical thought. Preserving local characteristics while protecting traditions is essential for social harmony, economic development, and cultural inheritance, supporting sustainable urban–rural integration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traditional Construction Wisdom in Developing Regions: Sustainable Urbanization and Local-Eco Adaptation)
27 pages, 65708 KiB  
Article
A Digital Analysis of the “L”-Shaped Tujia Dwellings in Southeast Chongqing Based on Shape Grammar
by Quan Wen, Yuqi Zhao, Xianwen Huang and Gang Wang
Buildings 2025, 15(6), 900; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15060900 - 13 Mar 2025
Viewed by 329
Abstract
The Tujia ethnic group is one of the major ethnic groups in China, with a long history and abundant cultural heritage. As a distinctive architectural style, Tujia dwellings have evolved over thousands of years, developing a wealth of construction techniques and embodying the [...] Read more.
The Tujia ethnic group is one of the major ethnic groups in China, with a long history and abundant cultural heritage. As a distinctive architectural style, Tujia dwellings have evolved over thousands of years, developing a wealth of construction techniques and embodying the wisdom of local craftsmen. These construction techniques are a valuable asset of Tujia folk dwellings but still rely on the oral tradition among craftsmen. Therefore, it is extremely valuable for enriching the world’s architectural system and heritage inheritance to refine these techniques and transform them into regularized digital properties. The “L”-shaped system of Tujia houses is the most common type of Tujia house, featuring both the main house and the wing house, and can distinctly represent the construction technology and style characteristics of Tujia houses. The grammar of “L”-shaped houses is the core part of the grammar of Tujia houses and is also important for analyzing and inheriting the construction technology of Tujia houses. Shape grammar is an analytical method centered on the refinement of rules. This paper takes advantage of its ability to analyze and refine rules, and based on the rich Tujia architectural material library, it summarizes the corpus and refines the grammatical rules of “Generation of the main structure framework”, “Roof truss conversion and support”, “Side houses and stilted structures”, and “Cantilevered elements and corners” into four dimensions, along with many detailed grammars. These rules are transformed into a programming language and parameterized toolkit, providing a detailed summary of the construction logic and techniques. Ultimately, an “L”-shaped construction grammar for Tujia traditional dwellings has been proposed, and with the help of software tools such as Grasshopper, the digital regeneration has been completed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traditional Construction Wisdom in Developing Regions: Sustainable Urbanization and Local-Eco Adaptation)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 5752 KiB  
Article
New Insights into Traditional Construction Behind Sibe Dwellings with Swastika Kang for Space Heating in North China
by Menglong Zhang, Zhiyuan Shang, Keqian Luo and Kai Xie
Buildings 2025, 15(5), 795; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15050795 - 28 Feb 2025
Viewed by 381
Abstract
Due to massive urbanization and industrialization, modern constructions tend to be designed as technique-dependent, at the cost of high consumption and emissions for indoor environment control such as heating ventilation and air conditioning. Space heating accounts for about 40% of total building energy [...] Read more.
Due to massive urbanization and industrialization, modern constructions tend to be designed as technique-dependent, at the cost of high consumption and emissions for indoor environment control such as heating ventilation and air conditioning. Space heating accounts for about 40% of total building energy usage in northern China in winter. This calls for self-reflection and tracing of local traditional architectural wisdom. In this paper, Sibe Traditional Houses were chosen as a typical illustrative example to reveal the building mechanisms behind such local-adaptive traditional constructions. Based on the field investigation in Shifosi Village, a traditional Sibe settlement in Shenyang City, northern China, thermal modeling and indoor heating effects are studied in Sibe Traditional Houses with unique building spatial patterns. The indoor thermal environment is comparatively analyzed for both passive envelope insulation and active heating considerations. Preliminary results indicate that enhancing roof thermal insulation enhancement is the key passive strategy for improving indoor thermal comfort in winter. It also suggests that a space-heating configuration that combines the traditional “kang” with the architectural layout has a more significant effect on the enhancement of indoor thermal comfort in Sibe dwellings. This paper can provide methodological support and an application reference for the improvement of indoor thermal environment of traditional village dwellings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traditional Construction Wisdom in Developing Regions: Sustainable Urbanization and Local-Eco Adaptation)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 15999 KiB  
Article
Natural Ventilation in Building Buffer Spaces of Traditional Qiang Dwellings: Field Study in Western China
by Ying Zhao, Kun Li, Meng Han, Jianwu Xiong and Yifan Zhang
Buildings 2025, 15(5), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15050794 - 28 Feb 2025
Viewed by 615
Abstract
As China’s rural revitalization progresses, the green and sustainable development of traditional dwellings has gained significant attention. Traditional Qiang dwellings in western Sichuan, located in high-altitude cold regions, often feature thick walls and small windows, limiting air circulation. Buffer spaces play a key [...] Read more.
As China’s rural revitalization progresses, the green and sustainable development of traditional dwellings has gained significant attention. Traditional Qiang dwellings in western Sichuan, located in high-altitude cold regions, often feature thick walls and small windows, limiting air circulation. Buffer spaces play a key role in improving indoor air quality and reducing energy consumption through natural ventilation. This study explores traditional Qiang dwellings in western Sichuan through field research, architectural analysis, and numerical simulations. The study analyzes three buffer space types and compares natural ventilation in dwellings with and without buffer spaces. The results show better air circulation in buildings with buffer spaces. The simulation further shows that when the courtyard’s aspect ratio is 1.3 and the width-to-height ratio is 0.9, ventilation and air renewal rates are optimized. Based on this, the study proposes natural ventilation optimization strategies to reduce reliance on mechanical systems and improve energy efficiency. The study provides a scientific basis for low-carbon Qiang dwelling design and offers practical strategies for improving living environments, supporting sustainable rural development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traditional Construction Wisdom in Developing Regions: Sustainable Urbanization and Local-Eco Adaptation)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 14569 KiB  
Article
Aging Adaptation Transition of Health Care Buildings for Accessibility Optimization for the Elderly
by Chang Yi, Wenyang Han, Yiheng Liu, Yijie Lin and Yicong Qi
Buildings 2025, 15(3), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15030379 - 25 Jan 2025
Viewed by 862
Abstract
As society develops, the aging population issue is becoming more serious and gaining global attention. Meanwhile, the building industry worldwide is focusing on making buildings more convenient for the elderly. This study focuses on a health care building, analyzing its aging-friendly design. It [...] Read more.
As society develops, the aging population issue is becoming more serious and gaining global attention. Meanwhile, the building industry worldwide is focusing on making buildings more convenient for the elderly. This study focuses on a health care building, analyzing its aging-friendly design. It examines issues related to walking situations and activity spaces and proposes optimization strategies based on relevant codes and actual needs. Through optimization and transformation, the walking distance to the nearest exit for the elderly in the building has been reduced by 36.8%, the walking distance to activity space for the elderly has been reduced by 8.4%, and the average public activity space of each elderly person has been increased by about 23.5%. In addition, the handrails of the accessible stairway have been changed to double handrails, which is more suitable for the different needs of the elderly, and the space of the wheelchair-accessible elevator has been expanded, which is more convenient for the elderly’s activities in elevators. This paper explores the feasibility and design direction of the aging-friendly architecture, and it aims to provide a valuable reference for the renovation of aging buildings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traditional Construction Wisdom in Developing Regions: Sustainable Urbanization and Local-Eco Adaptation)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 17061 KiB  
Article
Energy-Efficient Architectural Design of a Banquet Hall with Integrated Tunnel Ventilation: Monitoring Performance During the Transitional Season in China
by Jianwu Xiong, Jing Wu, Jifan Cao, Zexuan Tian and Qianru Yang
Buildings 2024, 14(11), 3335; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113335 - 22 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1338
Abstract
The construction industry, a significant contributor to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, is under considerable pressure to adopt transformative approaches. Public buildings, which account for a substantial portion of total energy usage, must balance high standards of thermal comfort with ventilation [...] Read more.
The construction industry, a significant contributor to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, is under considerable pressure to adopt transformative approaches. Public buildings, which account for a substantial portion of total energy usage, must balance high standards of thermal comfort with ventilation efficiency. In China, many public buildings are part of urban landscapes, where façade designs often limit natural ventilation. Consequently, technologies like earth-to-air heat exchangers and wind towers are increasingly essential for enhancing natural ventilation. However, research on the efficacy of these systems remains sparse. This study examines the transitional seasonal environment by evaluating the thermal-humidity index of a banquet hall equipped with an earth-to-air heat exchanger system. Using DeST software [DeST 2.0], the study simulates indoor natural ventilation, calculates ventilation rates, and assesses residual heat removal efficiency. The system’s performance is also modeled under various thermal design zones. Results demonstrate that under natural ventilation, the system can achieve a residual heat removal efficiency of up to 490%. Simulations across different climate zones indicate that the system performs best in regions with extreme temperature fluctuations, particularly those with hot summers and warm winters. In these areas, the system reduces the annual temperature difference by up to 56.7%, significantly improving thermal comfort and reducing dependency on air conditioning. In contrast, performance in milder regions like Kunming achieves only a 37.5% reduction in temperature difference. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into energy-efficient design strategies and thermal optimization for banquet halls, with significant potential for energy savings and enhanced occupant comfort. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traditional Construction Wisdom in Developing Regions: Sustainable Urbanization and Local-Eco Adaptation)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 3000 KiB  
Article
Effects of Contractual and Relational Governance on Project Performance: The Role of BIM Application Level
by Bing Yi and Nina Lee See Nie
Buildings 2024, 14(10), 3185; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14103185 - 7 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1634
Abstract
This study aims to explore the moderating role of Building Information Modeling (BIM) between project governance and project performance. The theoretical foundation of this research is rooted in transaction cost economics. The data come from the construction industry in China’s Sichuan province. A [...] Read more.
This study aims to explore the moderating role of Building Information Modeling (BIM) between project governance and project performance. The theoretical foundation of this research is rooted in transaction cost economics. The data come from the construction industry in China’s Sichuan province. A dataset comprising 175 survey responses was subjected to analysis through the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method. The findings confirm that contract completeness and contract flexibility positively influence project performance, and trust in relational governance also has a positive impact on project performance. Additionally, the level of BIM application moderates the relationships between contract flexibility and trust with project performance. However, a significant positive relationship between contract completeness and project performance was not observed. These findings establish a groundwork for transitioning project governance research from a static to a dynamic viewpoint, thereby facilitating the practical implementation of BIM technology. As a result, this study enriches the academic comprehension of governance amidst digital transformation and provides actionable suggestions for fostering efficient governance practices within a technologically progressive landscape. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Traditional Construction Wisdom in Developing Regions: Sustainable Urbanization and Local-Eco Adaptation)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-7
Back to TopTop