DoomsdaysCW<p>How ancient '<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/skywells" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>skywells</span></a>' are keeping Chinese homes cool</p><p>In the eras before air-conditioning, southern China's skywells played a key role in keeping people's homes cool. Could they do it again today?</p><p>By Xiaoying You, 12th July 2023</p><p>"[A] revival of interest in traditional Chinese architecture is leading some of historic buildings with skywells to be restored for modern times. Meanwhile, as a government push has made low-carbon innovations in the building sector a trend in the country, some architects are drawing inspiration from skywells and other traditional Chinese architectural features to help keep new buildings cooler.</p><p>"A skywell, or 'tian jing' (天井) in Mandarin, is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China. Different from a northern Chinese courtyard, or 'yuan zi' (院子), a skywell is smaller and less exposed to the outdoor environment.</p><p>"They are commonly seen in homes dating to Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, which were designed to house different generations of relatives, according to a 2010 paper published by the Journal of Nanchang University in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/China" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>China</span></a>."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230712-how-ancient-skywells-are-keeping-chinese-homes-cool?utm_source=pocket-newtab" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">bbc.com/future/article/2023071</span><span class="invisible">2-how-ancient-skywells-are-keeping-chinese-homes-cool?utm_source=pocket-newtab</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LowTech" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LowTech</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Cooling" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Cooling</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Architecture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Architecture</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/History" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>History</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Histodons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Histodons</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MingDynasty" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MingDynasty</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/QingDynasty" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>QingDynasty</span></a></p>