The courtyard house is a classic building in the northern city, and was finally finalized in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The long-term historical development makes each detail of the courtyard design has its own function and intention, what are the steps of the ancients to design the courtyard, and what is the intention of the layout of the courtyard, today I will use the legend to answer for you one by one.
01 phase
Fang Xiang Shengyuan is a street in the north and south, a lane in the east and west, a fang in Guo and a village outside Guo
The ancient city was a chessboard structure, with streets in the north and south, with the main functions of transportation and trade, and the alleys in the east and west, that is, the "alleys", that is, the passages that connected the various residences.
02Takuin
A common three-way courtyard layout
There are buildings on all sides, and the central axis of the courtyard is symmetrical, which is the most common courtyard form, with the largest number and the most extensive distribution.
Triads
Generally, there is a main house, an inverted seat, and only one wing room, and some only have a main room and a symmetrical layout of two wings, which still maintain a symmetrical layout of the central axis
Special Courtyard
The composition of the building is uncertain, and the layout is not regular, and the design is flexible according to the topography or the direction of the streets, and the building is laid out according to the needs.
Cross-hospital
Longitudinal cross-courtyard: longitudinally connecting two or three basic quadrangle courtyards to become multi-entry courtyards, the whole courtyard plane is narrow and long, and the building basically follows the symmetrical layout of the central axis
Horizontal cross-courtyard: The basic type is the horizontal parallel connection of the courtyard, the cross-courtyard is not open to the outside, and the individual buildings in each courtyard still follow the principle of symmetry of the central axis for layout.
In ancient times, a family that could live in a courtyard house could be said to be a landlord with a solid family, and several families lived in a courtyard was a "miscellaneous courtyard". The deeper the courtyard, the higher the level.
In the Dream of Red Mansions buildings we have introduced, we can see that Jia Mu's courtyard is of the highest level.
03 Direction Pursuit - Kan Zhai Xunmen
The north and south are slightly longer, sitting in a rectangular courtyard facing north from the south, the gate is open in the southeast direction, and the main door is the same as the direction of the house door.
Climate: Beijing has a cold wind from the northwest in winter, and the cool breeze comes from the southeast in summer, and the door is open in the southeast = square, which can achieve the effect of avoiding the cold wind in winter and enjoying the cool wind in summer.
Privacy: The door of the house is biased to one side, and there is a shadow wall facing it, which improves the privacy of the courtyard and conforms to the traditional feudal etiquette.
Feng Shui: On the basis of simple experience, some people have attached a set of "feng shui" to this design. "Kan" is due north, the main water in the "Five Elements", the main house is built in the water level, can avoid fire; "Xun" is in the southeast, the hexagram of the wind, in and out smoothly.
Generally speaking, the owner can plant trees and flowers, raise birds and fish, and stack stones in the courtyard. In the modern renovation of the courtyard, the load-bearing role of the wooden structure is generally canceled, and the masonry structure is replaced by a brick and stone structure, and the courtyard is supplemented by large bay windows to increase the ornamental nature of the courtyard.
Inside the Lao Sihe Hospital
A courtyard house under construction
Exterior view of the quadrangle
Source: Philosopher's House