Critical sustainability in Chinese vernacular: Chinese architects' exploration for holistic sustainability

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the importance and method of obtaining holistic sustainability through critical learning from vernacular architecture. The study is conducted through a historical review of the Chinese architects' practices on exploration for sustainability during last two decades. This critical review fashions an evolution from the nostalgic replication of the form of vernacular architecture to a more sustainable angle of view. The development from the solely aesthetics study to the multi-discipline study on ecology, technology, culture and even ethics, embodied the gradually profound understanding on sustainability and the vernacular architecture in China. Copyright©2005 IAHS.