PERSISTENCE AND TRANSFORMATION - THE HAKKA COURTYARD HOUSE AND ITS VARIATIONS IN ASIA

Abstract

The Hakka Courtyard House has been one of the most impressionable typologies in Asia. This thesis explores the relationship of opposing dialectic, of persistence versus transformation, explores on how much and to what degree can a Hakka Courtyard House transform before it loses its typological persistence, or its recognizability or likeness as a Hakka Courtyard House. A novel analysis method was implemented for this investigation, known as the Hakka Gamma-Form-Façade Evaluation (HGFFE) technique. This research reveals that although the classic style of the traditional Hakka courtyard house breaks down in the transmission cross time and space, the Four Key Principles of spatial composition maintains. In addition, this study concludes that the Hakka Gamma-Form-Façade Evaluation (HGFFE) as an advanced analytical technique can be used to evaluate any other building typology.