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Indoor and Built Environment, Vol. 6, No. 3, 179-187 (1997)
DOI: 10.1177/1420326X9700600309

Healthy Buildings Have Existed in China Since Ancient Times

Qigao Chen

Chongqing Jianzhu University, Chongqing, Sichuan, PR China

Ya Feng

Chongqing Jianzhu University, Chongqing, Sichuan, PR China

Gonglu Wang

Chongqing Jianzhu University, Chongqing, Sichuan, PR China

The historical experience in China of constructing healthy buildings over many centuries merits even more attention today. Using the quadrangle as a basic style, buildings have been constructed in this way from ancient China to the present time. It is a style found in all areas of the country. The buildings in which people lived in ancient China were designed according to the doctrine of wind and water (which in Chinese is called feng shui). Today we would describe this as a philosophy for designing the indoor environment for healthy living. The common properties of such buildings are that of having good indoor air quality and easy maintenance of the indoor climate. This paper describes the optimal performance of quadrangle buildings from the perspec tive of their thermal environment, illumination by natural lighting, infrared absorption and radiation, noise and indoor air quality, insulation properties and gives a mathematical analysis of these features. While this building style is not unique to China it could be developed more in other countries. It is a healthy style of building which can serve mankind worldwide because of its natural energy saving and adopting more widely it would improve standards in building.

Key Words: Feng shui • Ancient Chinese buildings • Quadrangle buildings • Courtyard • Energy-efficient buildings


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