Architecture as intercultural practice: A study on the integration of vernacular architecture in a multi-ethnic region of Southwest China

Abstract

Traditional studies on ethnic vernacular architecture often exhibit a monocentric bias, while intercultural spatial theory largely overlooks architectural materiality, leaving architectural dynamic interactions along multi-ethnic corridors under-researched. Grounded in interculturalism, this study investigates vernacular architectural integration in the multi-ethnic Three Parallel Rivers region in southwestern China. By establishing a “prototype–element–form” framework and integrating fieldwork, architectural typology, and data analysis, this study compares 119 traditional settlements across ten ethnic groups. The findings reveal a complex “partially aligned, overall interwoven” pattern between architectural types and ethnic boundaries. Specifically, timber-frame dwellings are shared among the Bai, Yi, Naxi, and Hui peoples; log cabins are shared among the Lisu, Nu, Derung, Pumi, and Mosuo peoples; and blockhouses align strongly with Tibetan communities. These findings demonstrate that architecture serves as both an ethnic identity marker and a medium for exchanging techniques, knowledge, and ideas across ethnicities. Furthermore, the study identifies four pathways driving architectural integration: environmental constraints, ethnic inter-embedment, population mobility, and political order. Ultimately, this research provides empirical support for intercultural theory, offers a methodological framework for systematically interpreting architectural integration, and contributes unique local insights into the contemporary global identity crisis of regional architecture.