CONFLICT AND RECONCILIATION BETWEEN ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE VALUES AND ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY A Case Study of Xidi Village, Anhui Province

Abstract

Energy consumption in buildings has increased dramatically over the last decade due to population growth, increased demands for indoor environmental quality, and global climate change, resulting in a growing awareness of the importance of sustainable development. Amongst many cases, architectural heritage faces a unique challenge in striking the delicate balance between its value and energy sustainability. The key aim of this paper is to reconcile the impact of sustainable design interventions with the values of architectural heritage by proposing a pragmatic and site-sensitive design approach. This article uses the case of the village of Xidi to simulate the energy consumption of traditional South-eastern Chinese residential buildings using the Designer’s Simulation Toolkit (DeST) considering different design options. The material selections and simulation results are further analysed by considering essential heritage building conservation documents and charters to accommodate the need for reducing energy consumption without compromising the value of heritage buildings.