DoomsdaysCWHow ancient '#skywells' are keeping Chinese homes cool
In the eras before air-conditioning, southern China's skywells played a key role in keeping people's homes cool. Could they do it again today?
By Xiaoying You, 12th July 2023
"[A] revival of interest in traditional Chinese architecture is leading some of historic buildings with skywells to be restored for modern times. Meanwhile, as a government push has made low-carbon innovations in the building sector a trend in the country, some architects are drawing inspiration from skywells and other traditional Chinese architectural features to help keep new buildings cooler.
"A skywell, or 'tian jing' (天井) in Mandarin, is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China. Different from a northern Chinese courtyard, or 'yuan zi' (院子), a skywell is smaller and less exposed to the outdoor environment.
"They are commonly seen in homes dating to Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, which were designed to house different generations of relatives, according to a 2010 paper published by the Journal of Nanchang University in #China."
#LowTech #Cooling #Architecture #History #Histodons #MingDynasty #QingDynasty
Hippy Steve