The Research Of Exterior Components And Space Under The Roof Of Asian Timber Architectures–Using The Paintings In Southern Song Dynasty As Basic Materials

This thesis contemplates an unfamiliar problem: in what degree can people's lifestyle affect or even decide how an Asian timber architecture looks and in what ways these two interact with each other.The answer seems so self-evident that architecture as the structure made by human naturally represents people's needs and intentions.However,the appearance of Asian timber architecture is often considered as the straight consequence of construction techniques and official architectural hierarchy system.The elevation proportion,for an example,can be determined just through construction method(??or??)and module(??).Thus,the concept of“Fa?ade”is often thought as inexistent or insignificant in Asian timber architecture.That is why in China researches about the appearance of Asian timber architecture mostly turn to two directions: the proportion analysis based on construction techniques and the styles of the individual components which considered subsidiary of the main frame structure.The former tried to find the universal ratios in mechanical properties,number superstition and aesthetical standard while the latter always has the tendencies to overgeneralize the forms and techniques of the components into “styles” related to dynasties or to be trapped in the endless details of decorative patterns.In addition,the classification system researchers used was developed by artisans hundreds of years ago and it often caused that all those components were investigated separately.So,the relationships between them and the space they form are lack of proper investigations.In fact,on the one hand,compared to the frame wooden structure,the exterior components shared a very close connection with people's lives.They respond to people's needs flexibly with different configurations in different environments and form the unique grey-space under the roof of Asian timber architectures which met the ancient people's desire to communicate with the nature.On the other hand,unlike the indoor partitions or furniture,these components largely determine the appearance of an architecture.Therefore,the exterior component as the study object has three roles in this thesis.Except for stylistic artifacts,it is also considered as space division and scenery installation.In these three roles,it reflects the unity of construction techniques,design intentions and aesthetic tastes of people in historical context.The mainbody of this thesis is from Chapter Two to Chapter Four.Chapter Two starts from the interaction between those components and natural elements as rain and wind,this thesis discusses their intrinsic functions of creating an appropriate indoor environment.The forms and techniques of some specific components are deeply investigated through painting images and Building Standards(??????)while the lives of people in Song Dynasty are connected with those components by documents like notes of the elites.On this foundation,Chapter Three attempts to reveal the bond between exterior components and the litterateur's body and mind.This chapter starts with balustrade and discusses the relationship of exterior components and real-life scenarios in daily use.Finally,Chapter Four further elaborates the interactions between lifestyles and exterior components from the angle of the spatialization of the architectural interface and the integrated construction logic of exterior components.This thesis not only conducts detailed researches on documents and images about architectures in Southern(Northern)Song Dynasty,but also uses these data to study the exterior components,the lifestyles of people at that time and how these two connected to each other.It also takes a step in introducing “people” into the research of architectural history.While it outlines the people's life in Song Dynasty through paintings and notes,it also tries to put forward a new research perspective of architectural history.