Wind Field Analysis for a Tulou (Earthen Building) in Fujian, China — “A Case Study of Eryi Lou”

Abstract:

Tulou (or "Earthen buildings") is an age-old type of Chinese vernacular dwellings. It is recognized by its unique architectural style and ingenious structure adapt to mountainous regions in Fujian province. In this research, we investigated the largest round type-- Eryi Lou-- which is designated as one of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2008. In this study, we made site surveys for the dimension and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based simulations to predict the wind field of Eryi Lou. In the CFD analysis, we considered the incompressible isothermal turbulent airflow to examine the interaction of the natural ventilation effected by its unique shape. The results indicate that the traditional round earthen building has superior performances in natural ventilation. This study may lead to a better understanding to the advantages of vernacular dwellings, which could be used to ecological architecture design in the future.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volume 933)
• Pages: 335-340
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.933.335
• Online since: May 2014
• Authors: Ying Ming Su*, Yu Chou Wu
• Keywords: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Tulou (Earthen Buildings), Vernacular Buildings

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