A unique heritage building typology : a study of self-built houses of Suzhou : the case of no. 370 Boqian Road, Liuyuan Village, Suzhou

Abstract

Vernacular architecture from various eras plays an important role in Suzhou’s unique heritage value, as well as an essential research topic for the future urban development of Suzhou. After more than 30 years of unremitting efforts, the historical and cultural city of Suzhou has been well protected ranging from the layout of the ancient city to each level of cultural relics. However, some traditional villages and dwellings in Suzhou are losing their original traces of history due to social and economic development. The research object of this dissertation, the Self-Built Houses of Suzhou, is a kind of unique vernacular dwelling typology. Most of them were built by common people during 1970s to 1980s when the Cultural Revolution just came to the end. A large number of self-built dwellings and villages have appeared in many corners of Suzhou, due to lack of sound legal system and backward economic conditions. While there remain many self-built houses in Suzhou, there is no official policy in conserving them, given their status as a form of temporary housing and built to varying standard and quality. The future of these houses is no positive. Therefore, it is an important and urgent task to research and bring attention to these matters in a timely manner, and it is a new topic to explore the heritage value of self-built houses of Suzhou. This thesis will focus on the unique architectural heritage typology –the case study of the author’s family childhood self-built house. The thesis will analyze the influence of its typical history background and document the tangible and intangible value of the self-built house. This may be able to provide a research model when studying other eras self-built houses of Suzhou, in the hope that some of the more representative examples might be considered for conservation in the future, and thereby preserving the architectural collective memory during the first decade after the Cultural Revolution as China transited from a Communist to a Capitalist society.