Application of shape grammar to vernacular houses: a brief case study of Unconventional villages in the contemporary context

Abstract

Shape grammar, as a design reasoning method, offers a graphical approach to decoding formal languages and implementing the emergence of results through recursive shape rules. Since its introduction in 1972, it has been increasingly utilized in researching vernacular houses’ inherent value and adaptive regeneration. This paper explains the principles of shape grammar and summarizes relevant research cases from the past four decades. Three representative cases are selected to demonstrate shape grammar’s positive impact on studying vernacular houses. Subsequently, the paper focuses on the “Unconventional Village” undergraduate graduation design from Shandong Jianzhu University. It uses it as an example to illustrate the design generation process of “unified construction” houses in rural China through rule reasoning. Finally, the research value of shape grammar is summarized, and the significance of studying contemporary vernacular houses is elaborated.