Project Site: Dabaiyi Village, Xiyang Township, Jinning County, Kunming City, Yunnan

Dabaiyi Village, 2.5 hours on car from the city center of Kunming, accommodates 462 people in 141 households. Ninety percent are ethnically Han, while the rest are Dai and Yi. Most houses are made with palm, while a few brick buildings can be found at the village edge. Architecture remains traditional at the village, but many houses are in a poor condition, with about half requiring rebuilding or restoration.

The village is applying for state-level traditional village this year. Collaboration with Kunming University of Science and Technology, the project team provided guidance to the villagers in the renewal work at a planning level and helped rebuild, repair and transform houses of a few different types. Work was also performed to improve the infrastructure, public space and community facilities according to the villagers’ need. The project will not only enhance the living quality, safety and livelihoods of the villagers, but also demonstrate the opportunities for innovative and sustainable development in traditional agricultural villages.

Investigation
Design
Construction

Apr 2018 - Investigation

Under the support of township government, 14 households expressed their willingness to participate in the send phase of the project to have their houses rebuilt. During the site surveys, some households got issues of land distribution and manpower deployment. Finally, 5 households confirmed to participate the project. Afterward, the team conducted investigation, topographic survey, architectural design and discussion. The design layouts were finalized in late Sep. Please click here to see the relevant work report (in Chinese version only)

May 2019

All construction was completed by the end of Apr. The new houses were delivered to the households in early May.

Mar 2019

Workmen returned to the site after Chinese New Year holidays. By the mid of Mar, the 2nd layer of wall ramming work for all houses was completed. Please click here to see relevant work report (in Chinese version only).

Oct 2018 - Jan 2019

In mid Oct, the team launched the second phase of a housing renovation project for 4 hourses with 5 households (work includes the demolition of the original building, site formation and foundation). By the end of Dec, the first layer of wall ramming work for all houses was completed. Please click here to see Nov 2018 work report and click here to see Jan 2019 work report (in Chinese version only).

Investigation
Design
Construction

Apr 2017 - 2nd Investigation trip

Based on the survey result collected from the households selected as the first phase project, the team worked out a preliminary design and discussed with the respective owners. Please click here to see the relevant work report (in Chinese version only)

Feb 2017 - 1st Investigation trip

The project team conducted an investigation study to understand the basic situation of the village. In addition, they conducted more in-depth visits to several low-income households with very poor living environment, and identified to solve four households as the first phase of the project to address the most critical basic housing problem. Please click here to see the relevant work report (in Chinese version only).

Master Layout Plan (for Phase 1)

Mar 2018 The team returned to the village in early Mar to learn about the initial usage of the houses. Please click here to see the relevant revisit report (in Chinese version only). Dec 2017 The first phase of the project successfully completed on December 17. The team also achieved its goal of improving and upgrading the thermal performance of traditional rammed earth houses, earthquake resistance of structures, building functions, ventilation and lighting, without changing or destroying the original village style. Please click here to see the relevant work report (in Chinese version only).
Oct 2017 Due to rainy season, the team returned to the village in early October to continue the construction work. By the end of month, main structural wall was completed. Afterward, the team will gradually start the work for roof structure, interior decoration, outdoor landscape and drainage details. Please click here to see the relevant work report (in Chinese version only)
Jun - Jul 2017 The first layer was completed in a month and a half, but construction was forced to come to a halt from mid-July as the rainy season began in late June. The remaining work is planned to be completed in two months after the end of the rainy season. Please click here to see the relevant work report (in Chinese version only)
Apr - May 2017 The team launched the first phase of a housing renovation project for three households. Work includes the demolition of the original building, site formation and the first two layers of wall ramming. Please click here to see the relevant work report (in Chinese version only)