What is the relationship between Yongding Hakka Tulou and the local geographical environment?

1. Patio and daylighting

Yongding is located near the Tropic of Cancer, straight to the point, with widespread hills, so the sunshine time is relatively short, and most of the earth buildings are closed and do not have sunshades. . Windows are generally not opened on the first and second floors, which is helpful to prevent burglars from intruding. Because there are no balconies inside or outside the earth building, lighting is very important.

Since the earth building faces south, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Therefore, at noon, the sun can shine on the patio, making the building fully illuminated. Especially the round building, because of its huge area, the larger the sunlight area, the more abundant the light it gets, and the sun can shine into every blind corner, while at the same time achieving the effect of moisture-proofing.

2. Roofs and waterproofing

Most of the roofs of Yongding Hakka earth buildings adopt "herringbone" double-slope roofs. Yongding is located in Yongding, a subtropical monsoon humid climate, with abundant precipitation and space. Uneven distribution. When the rainy season comes, its "herringbone" roof plays a vital role. The outer slope of the roof is longer than the inner slope, which helps prevent rainwater from seeping into the earthen wall and causing collapse.

In addition, the corners are made of stone and are often relatively high, which can prevent the corners from being washed away when there is a flood. Earth buildings are made of earth, and what they fear most is water. The Hakka ancestors gave full play to their ingenuity and solved this key problem.

3. Bamboo strips and earthquake resistance

There are rumors that Yongding Hakka earth buildings are built with "brown sugar glutinous rice". In fact, this is not true. Hundreds of years ago, they were built with brown sugar glutinous rice. It is obviously unrealistic to build such a huge earth building. It is permanently located near the Eurasian plate and the Pacific plate, and the crust is relatively unstable. This requires Yongding Hakka earth buildings to be strong and earthquake-resistant, otherwise they will collapse easily.

The Hakka ancestors learned lessons from past earthquakes. When ramming the wall, they used bamboo strips as today's steel bars and placed them inside the wall. Because the bamboo strips are hard and elastic and have good overall performance, they are less susceptible to earthquakes. When this happens, the bamboo strips inside the wall will be straightened, making it less likely for the wall to collapse. Afterwards, the bamboo strips will be affected by the return force of the round building and naturally close back, thus achieving good earthquake resistance.

Extended information

Features of Hakka earth buildings:

1. Full economy

The main building materials of Hakka earth buildings are loess and fir earth. In the border areas of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces where Hakka people live together, these two materials are inexhaustible. Loess, in particular, is taken from hillsides, so there is no problem of destroying farmland. If old buildings need to be demolished and rebuilt, the wall soil can be reused or used as fertilizer for crops, without producing a large amount of construction waste like modern masonry or concrete houses.

Generally speaking, because the roof trusses are well ventilated, the wood components are not seriously affected by termite attack or moisture decay. Old materials can be reused, and the construction technology of earth buildings is easier to master and can be completed manually. Operation requires no special equipment. Usually, the building construction time is arranged in the dry and rainy winter, because the dry and rainy winter is the time for farming, and the tribesmen can participate in the project in large numbers, which greatly reduces the construction cost.

2. Good sturdiness

Hakka earth buildings, especially Yuanzhai, have the best sturdiness. The cylindrical structure can transmit various loads evenly. At the same time, the outer wall is thickest at the bottom, becomes thinner upwards and tilts slightly inward, forming an excellent prestressed centripetal state. It can be used in cases of subsidence caused by general earthquakes or uneven foundations. Under this condition, the entire earth building will not undergo destructive deformation.

Because there are horizontal tie-stringing ribs such as bamboo strips and wooden strips embedded inside the earthen wall, even if cracks occur due to temporary excessive stress, the overall structure is not in danger.

One of the biggest dangers of earth buildings is water attack, but most methods use large pebbles to build the foundation, and the height is designed to be above the maximum flood line. The earth wall is built on a stone foundation, and a large eave of about 3 meters is set on the top of the wall to ensure that rainwater is thrown out of the wall.

3. Wonderful physical properties

The walls of Hakka earth buildings are about 1.5 meters thick, which can prevent the heat from entering in hot weather, and can isolate the wind in cold weather, forming a Microclimate with cool summers and warm winters. What is very strange is that thick earth walls have an implicit effect that cannot be matched by any other wall. In the border area of ​​the three provinces of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi, the annual rainfall is as much as 1,800 millimeters, with frequent sunny showers and large changes in outdoor dryness and humidity.

Under this climate condition, the thick soil maintains a humidity suitable for the human body. When the environment is too dry, it can naturally release water; when the environment is too humid, it absorbs water. This regulating effect is obviously very important. Benefiting residents’ health.

Architects often talk about the control of indoor noise. Due to their strong introversion, Hakka earth buildings, especially Yuanzhai, are prone to noise focusing effects. In the Hakka living environment in the barren mountains and wilderness in the past, architecture The sound inside is the comforting breath of life.

White Encyclopedia—Hakka Earth Building