A Study On Masonry And Rammed Earth Of Yunnan Traditional Rammed Earth Dwellings

This thesis discusses the relationship among masonry and rammed earth with construction, spatial scale, climate suitability and traditional artcraft, that researches the rammed earth houses in central and southern Yunnan from the masonry and rammed earth perspective.At the beginning, this paper carries out a basic study on construction of rammed earth dwellings. From the basic materials to the ramming and masonry processes, and then the details, it states the basic construction materials’characteristics, the methods of constrcting its units, components and seismic retrofit strategies of rammed earth dwellings.A rammed earth house, unlike other Yunnan dwellings, highligts itself on spatial scales. Its interior is closed and thick, cramped and low, which has a firm relationship with its special materials and construction method. Through the study, mapping and analysis rammed earth dwellings of central and southern parts of Yunnan Province, this paper tries to discuss the links of rammed earth and masonry with spatial scales of these houses.Being suitable with local climate and geography is a common trait of dwellings. People in the central and southern Yunnan build rammed earth houses according to their long-term living and labouring experiences, which suit the local dry-hot valley geographic conditions completely. Though the research of masonry and rammed earth walls,ceilings and materials in some typical areas, this thesis caculates the thermal performances results with contemporary thermal performances method, discussing how the rammed earth and masonry works contribute to such buildings’ suitability. After mapping and observing several individual dwellings’ grounding methods, this thesis summarizes forms of building on different terrains, discussing the relation between masonry and rammed earth house and terrains.Also, this paper explores traditional building artcrafts of rammed earth house. In a context that construction of dwellings becomes modernized, the thread of traditional masonry and rammed earth artcraft should be found. How are the traditional rammed earth dwellings now and their future is really a good question to think about.