Identifying Architectural Forms and Evaluating the Climate Adaptability of Traditional Buildings in Southwest China

The unique and various forms of Miao buildings in Southwest China promote harmony with nature and are an important part of Miao culture as well. This paper firstly finds out that some architectural forms are inherited in new Miao buildings during the transformation through on-site surveying and comparison. Based on the output of the software of Climate Consultant, both the traditional and new are tested through the design strategies set out on plan, sections and building forms respectively, to find that traditional Miao buildings can adapt to the local climate well, while for the modern ones, their functions for improving thermal comfort is disappearing. The paper suggests that more attention should be paid to traditional Miao’s potential efforts to adapt to the environment, rather than simply symbolic icons.