Beijing's Hutong -An Ancient Relic of Green Living

Great Britain's Prince Charles is working through his Foundation for Architecture and Urbanism to preserve Da Shi Lan, or Da Zha Lan, one of Beijing's famous remaining old-fashioned and resource-minimal courtyard-homes of hutong neighborhoods, located just south of Tiananmen Square. Charles's planners say that by renovating and rebuilding the courtyard homes that make up the hutong, whose alleys are Beijing's version of Venice's canal-crossed calli, Cairo's qasaba and Brazil's favelas: a lively, charming network of streets with Medieval roots, rich history and distinct character.

Beijing's courtyard homes (siheyuan), which date as far back as the ancient Western Zhou period, showcase green building that began centuries ago. South-facing rooms located under eaves around a central courtyard allows for ample ventilation, natural light and shade, and a patch of green space within the city. While their high walls keep nosy neighbors out, the density of the hutong also encourages rich social interaction. Though they once housed the elite, the courtyard homes were turned over to commoners during the Cultural Revolution, transforming one-family homes into houses for four families or more.

The hutong's are increasingly the target of Beijing's eager high-rise estate developers, aided by a government eager to rid the city of what it sees as slums.

"China is being sold the hi-tech model of development and we think there is a model which works with the local character of Chinese planning to achieve sustainability," Hank Dittmar, the chief executive of the prince's foundation, told the Guardian.

The courtyard homes are increasingly considered dilaphitated, dirty and backward when compared with the shiny apartment houses springing up outside the second ring road. Bathrooms are often communal, and sanitation can be rudimentary. Summers can be hot, winters very cold.

In proposing to upgrade the courtyard homes and thin out their tenant populations, the Prince's Foundation will be introducing Beijing to the tried and proven Western concept of gentrification.
making Da Shi Lan a model of modern eco-living.

Posted by Jason McManus.

Source link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/05/greenbuilding.ethicalliving