Theory of Elastic Space -A case study on traditional dwellings in China-

In the context of rapid urbanization, the destruction of Chinese traditional dwellings is severe, manifested in that, on one hand the streets and buildings in traditional dwellings are demolished, and on the other hand, the daily life behaviours that accompany the aboriginal people’s removal from the local area also disappear. In addition, the study of street space in traditional dwellings still lacks the observation and discussion of human scale perspective. This study clearly defines the residents’ spontaneous living behaviour as the research object. From the perspective of the human scale, by discussing and optimizing the theoretical concepts of overflow and profile, the concept of elastic space and its research model are summarized. The two survey sites in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China were verified by means of actual measurement, data statistics, and correlation analysis, suggesting the characteristics and order of the elastic space. This study verifies that elastic spaces actually exist in Chinese traditional dwellings, and it also demonstrates the diversity, dependency, transparency, and openness of elastic spaces. The flexible space research model proposed in this study develops and advances the original building space theory. At the same time, the first-hand information obtained from the actual measurements of the objects to be or are being demolished is valuable. Finally, I hope that this research can serve as inspiration and reference for the protection and renewal of traditional Chinese dwellings in the future.

Volume Editors

ISBN
978-1-944214-31-9