Virtual Simulation of New Residential Buildings in Lingnan Using Vernacular Wisdom

Every new idea has some sort of precedent or echoes from the past. It is the same for the new residential buildings in Lingnan, China. In Lingnan, the vernacular knowledge of building design has been established over thousands of years. Whether it is suitable for use today should be verified. In this research, virtual simulations are employed to arrive at an overall conclusion. Virtual simulations based on PHOENICS, ENVI_MET, CadnaA, and Ecotect software were separately used for analysing the case of new residential buildings located in Lingnan. The study analysed the wind, thermal, acoustic, and light environments, which are four aspects of these new residential buildings. According to the results of our research, the paper discussed ways to amend and improve the new residential buildings that sit within the overall spirit of the vernacular knowledge of Lingnan; thus, it helps to put the traditional knowledge into the current context. The vernacular knowledge from XS to XL scale contexts, such as Feng-shui, was verified as being suitable for use in Lingnan today.