Vernacular Home Primary Function: Balay sa Kabanikanhan by Xinyun Li

Vernacular Home Primary Function: Balay sa Kabanikanhan by Xinyun Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award nga Puthaw in Malungtaron nga Produkto, Proyekto ug Berdeng Disenyo Competition Category.

PuthawMalungtaron nga Produkto· 2026

Vernacular Home Primary Function: Balay sa Kabanikanhan

by Xinyun Li

A' Design Award nga Puthaw Winner in Malungtaron nga Produkto Category

9,483
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #174956

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Vernacular Home Primary Function: Balay sa Kabanikanhan

Book Text: Ang Vernacular Home sa Bangladesh gidisenyo gamit ang lokal nga mga materyales, sama sa lapok, kawayan, dagami, ug tisa nga hinimo gikan sa lokal nga yuta. Isip tubag sa init nga klima ug taas nga panahon sa ulan, kini adunay hait nga atop, taas nga beranda, ug cross-ventilation alang sa passive cooling. Ang mga abli-abli sa mga bungbong nga giatubang ug gitalikdan sa hangin nagpagawas sa kainit, samtang ang double-brick nga mga lungag naghatag insulasyon. Ang mga kolon nga gipahiluna sa bungbong sa balay sa tsa nagpabugnaw sa hangin. Gamit ang mga litro nga botelya sa suga alang sa mga sulod, ang balay adunay mga kwarto, kusina, kasilyas, mga alangan sa baka, ug usa ka balay sa tsa nga adunay tindahan nga nagsuporta sa ilang panginabuhi samtang nagsiguro sa pagkapribado.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award nga Puthaw

Vernacular Home Primary Function: Balay sa Kabanikanhan usa ka mananaog sa A' Design Award nga Puthaw, usa ka dungganon nga pag-ila nga gihatag sa maayong mga disenyo nga nakatagbo sa propesyonal ug industriyal nga mga gikinahanglan nga gipaabot gikan sa maayo ang pagkadisenyo nga mga paglalang. Ang mga mananaog sa Puthaw nagpakita og dakong kahanas, taas nga espesyalisasyon, eksperto nga pagsabot, ug mamugnaon nga abilidad sa ilang mga tiglalang. Gilauman nga ang Vernacular Home Primary Function: Balay sa Kabanikanhan mahimong gipabilhan, gihangaan, ug gihigugma nga paglalang nga praktikal ug bag-o. Kini nga disenyo nga nakadaog og A' Design Award nga Puthaw naghiusa sa labing maayong mga praktis sa industriya ug adunay hanas nga teknikal nga mga kinaiya nga nalambigit sa kahibalo ug talento. Vernacular Home Primary Function: Balay sa Kabanikanhan gitahod tungod sa pagkamaabtik niini ug gidisenyo aron maghatag og mga pagpaayo sa kalidad sa kinabuhi nga makatabang sa paghimo sa kalibutan nga mas maayong dapit.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Vernacular Home in Modonpur, Bangladesh, is a sustainable house built with local materials like mud, straw, bamboo, bricks, and tin sheets. Designed for a family of four, it supports living, working, and livelihood. It responds to the hot, rainy climate with a raised veranda, steep roof, and cross-ventilation strategies in the facade design. Clay pots on the wall cool the tea house, while 'liter bottles of light' brighten interiors, showing a low-cost, low-impact design philosophy.
Dimensions & Packaging: tin sheet: 2' width * 8' length
Brick: 9 5/8" length* 4 5/8" height * 3" depth
Pottery: large opening is 5" R, and the small side opening is 1.5" R
The mud wall is 10" thick
Bamboo: 1.5" R
Tags: sustainability, vernacular home, rural, house, traditional building, local materials, climate
Production Technology: Bangladesh's locally made bricks and tin sheets.
Natural straw, mud, pottery, and bamboo.
The brick and the tin sheets are standard sizes and are manufactured in the local factories.
Traditional handmade mud and the way of polishing.
The potteries on the mud walls are smaller than the local typical size, which were made in the neighboring village.
The way of tying the straw is their vernacular type.
Design Challenge: Use the vernacular materials and design the buildings to face the local climate to make the microclimate more comfortable. Control the building budget and labor cost under 2500 USD.
Research: Two weeks were spent in the village to become familiar with local materials and to study traditional mud construction techniques as well as straw-tying methods. During this period, I also researched the climate of Para Dash and analyzed the vernacular architectural language, considering how new strategies could be integrated into the design to improve the microclimate. The needs and expectations of the local residents were carefully documented and incorporated into the final design.
Inspiration: This project explores the social responsibility of architects. Despite rapid technological advancements, many regions around the world remain underdeveloped. People in these areas are more directly exposed to natural conditions, yet they also have the right to live a better life. As architects, we should not only make better use of locally available materials but also respond to the most immediate needs of these communities by designing housing that is practical and suitable for widespread use.
Project Duration: It is designed in Modonpur, Bangladesh, a very natural village called Dash Para. The design phase lasted 4 months. It is a concept design.
Operation Flow: Given the hot climate in Bangladesh and long monsoon season, the design addresses thermal comfort and climate responsiveness through spatial layout, façade design, and roof form. A raised veranda protects against flooding, and steeply pitched roofs ensure efficient rainwater runoff. Rooms are arranged for optimal cross-ventilation, with varying window heights on windward and leeward sides to expel heat. On the tea house façade, locally made clay pots from a neighboring village are inserted into the mud wall to help cool the air by compressing airflow, enhancing microclimate comfort.
Image Credits: Image #1: Xinyun Li
Image #2: Xinyun Li
Image #3: Xinyun Li
Image #4: Xinyun Li
Image #5: Xinyun Li