SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL & BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Full Name: HWANG WEI LI
Student ID: 0319756
Module: Effective Public Communication
Session: September, 2014
Submission date: 19 January 2015
INDIVIDUAL ORAL PRESENTATION PART A – TRADITIONAL HOUSES AROUND
THE WORLD
Historical Background of:a)Yongding County
Name given during Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D )
Means peace forever
Famous for its beautiful landscape
Location: Yongding County, Longyan City,
Southwest of Fujian Province
b)Hakka Earthen Building / “Hakka Tulou”
A kind of large scale residential background building
which uses rammed earth as the main structure
Giant Community house, Oriental Castle
Built from 12th century to 20th century
Built by Chinese Hakka people
Hakka: guest, non-locals
To provide a secure home for the entire clan to live in after
escaped from the war in Central Plains
As defence function, avoid from wild animals & bandits
Use the income from selling smoking tobaccos to build the building
20 types of construction forms, most common are round and square-shaped
3 types of sizes:
Types SMALL MEDIUM BIG
Height of building 2-3 3-4 4-5
Number of ring Single Single / double Three
Number of rooms 21-28 30-40 42-58
STRUCTURE AND LAYOUTa)Structure
Why Round Earthen Building is the most common type:
Has larger interior space
Better at preventing Malignant influences(wind
from mountain, affects people’s health)
Housing layout: community of equals
Wall: first section of wall: clockwise or anticlockwise direction.
After 1 circuit of wall, reversed the direction. Circuit by circuit, directions
continued to rotate.
b) Characteristics of buildings
• only one gate leading into building (safety)
• Exterior: military fortresses Interior: solid apartment
• thick rammed earth:
ordinary bullets, cannonballs can’t penetrate
Warm in winter, cool in summer
• Outer building is earth, inner building is wood
ROUND BUILDING WITHIN THE ROUND BUILDING
b)Layout
1st floor
2nd floor
3rd floor
4th floor
Kitchen, dining room;
Hall, ancestral temple
Grains & farm
tools storage
Bedrooms
Bedrooms
All rooms are
identical
which
indicates
equality.
Ancestral hall / temple:
worship ancestors, discuss businessHuge central courtyard,(all door &
windows facing it),
Wells in interior
An open round hallway
with 4 staircases to
move from 1st to 4th
floor
Most round earthen
Buildings are 3 to 4 rings
With 3 to 4 floors.
TYPES OF ORNAMENTATION USED
Red lanterns hang around in & out of
building, couplets on the columns
Main entrance:
Name of building carved and hang on the wall
“Bagua” mirror hang on top of the Name
Board
Couplets on both sides
TYPE OF MATERIALS USEDa)Rammed Earth Walls
Rammed Earth technique: mixtures of earth that is damp enough
to hold together &last for several hundred years.
b)Parts of the buildings
Dark roof tiles were used,
Special for Hakka Earthen Building
Window panels made using wood,
All except 1st floor without windows
facing outside
Iron sheets: for door knockers, locks, reinforcement for doors,
Wrapping up the main wooden gate(Bullets can’t penetrate easily)
OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
a) The Biggest Earthern Building:: ChengQi Lou
Location: Gaobei Village, Gaotou town,
Yongding
Built in year 1709, over 300 years history
King of Round Earth Building: the largest scale
of earthen building
4storeys , 4 circular rings, 400 rooms
b)UNESCO
o Become one of the World Heritage Sites, July 2008
o Total of 46 sites chosen include:
3 clusters: Chuxi, Hongkeng, Gaobei villages
2 towers: Zhenfu, Yanxiang towers
Reference: China Highlights, 2014. Yongding Hakka Roundhouses. [online]. Available at: <
http://www.chinahighlights.com/yongding/attraction/yongding-hakka-roundhouses.htm > [Accessed 14
January 2015]
• Travel China Guide.com. Earth towers of the Hakkas. [online]. Available at: <
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/fujian/fuzhou/earth_tower.htm > [Accessed 15 January 2015]
• Cultural China. Hakka Tulou Houses of Yongding County. [online]. Available at: < http://www.cultural-
china.com/chinaWH/html/en/18Traditions85.html > [Accessed 14 January 2015]
• Hakka Tulou. History and Evolution. [online]. Available at: <
http://www.amazingfujiantulou.com/history_evolution.html > [Accessed 16 January 2015]
• Hakka Tulou. Overview. [online]. Available at: < http://www.amazingfujiantulou.com/overview.html >
[Accessed 16 January 2015]
• Hakka Tulou. How a Tulou was created. [online]. Available at:
< http://www.amazingfujiantulou.com/how_a_tulou_was_constructed.html > [Accessed 16 January 2015]
• Hakka Tulou. Unique Hakka Architecture . [online]. Available at: <
http://www.amazingfujiantulou.com/unique_hakka_architecture.html > [Accessed 16 January 2015]