Research Article

Preparing research on optimized construction of sustainable human living environment in regions where people of a certain ethnic group live in compact communities in China

¹ School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
² School of Architecture and Design, Changchun Institute of Technology, Changchun, China
³ International Asia Art Academy, Bangkok Thonburi University, Bangkok, Thailand

^⁎ e-mail: djyrob@gmail.com

Abstract

Due to the poor transport system, remoteness and few channels to access to information from the outside world in most minority-inhabited areas in China, buildings in these areas are well preserved. In particular, dwellings in these places show low-tech and ecological features. Different types and the natural environment of the plateau where Shangri-La lies provide people with a variety of living resources. As living environments vary in different areas, different inhabitation forms have been formed. Tibetan people adjust measures to local conditions and excel at using local materials and appropriate technologies to build houses. In this paper, a case study is made of traditional dwellings in Tibetan-inhabited areas in Shangri-La, to analyze low-tech and ecological strategies for traditional dwellings in Tibetan-inhabited areas in Shangri-La, from three aspects: regional environment measures, building technologies and the spatial order system.