Vernacular Home Calli ipan Cuauhtla by Xinyun Li

Vernacular Home Calli ipan Cuauhtla by Xinyun Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli in Cemicac Tlachihualli, Tequitl ihuan Xoxouhqui Tlachihchihualiztli Competition Category.

TepoztliCemicac Tlachihualli· 2026

Vernacular Home Calli ipan Cuauhtla

by Xinyun Li

Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli Winner in Cemicac Tlachihualli 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 Calli ipan Cuauhtla

In Vernacular Calli ipan Bangladesh mochihua ica tlaltentli tlein onca, quen zoquitl, otlatl, zacatl, ihuan xamitl tlein mochihua ica tlalli tlein onca. Quinnanquilia in totonqui tonalli ihuan in hueyi quiahuitl, quipia ce tlapechtli tlacpac tlatlaticac, ce veranda ahcocuic, ihuan ehecatl mopanahuia inic yamanqui cehui. In tlapoyahualtin ipan tepantli campa ehua ihuan campa calaqui ehecatl, quiquixtia in totonqui, in ome-xamitl coyoctli quiyamania. Zoquicaxitl tlaaquilli ipan itepan in tlaxcalcalli quicehuia ehecatl. Ica litro-tecomatl tlanextli ipan calihtic, in calli quipia cochihuayan, ce tlacualchihualoyan, ce cuitlacalli, cuaquimichin incal, ihuan ce tlaxcalcalli ica ce tianquizoyan tlein quimpalehuia in innemiliz auh no quinmaca innecehcemixnahuatiliz.

The Recognition

About the Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli

Vernacular Home Calli ipan Cuauhtla ca in quicuic in Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli, tlamahuizoliztli tlen momaca in cualli dizayno in quitlalia in tlen monequi ipan tequitl ihuan tlachihualiztli in quimaca in cualli tlachihualli. In quicuicah Tepoztli quinextia in hueyi tlamatiliztli, toltecayotl ihuan ihuelitiliztli intlachihuanime. Ca quinequi in Vernacular Home Calli ipan Cuauhtla ca tlazohtli, mahuiztic, yancuic ihuan motequiuhtia. Ni dizayno in quicuic Tepoztli quihuelitia in tlamatiliztli ihuan quipia chicahualiztli tlen tepoztli. Vernacular Home Calli ipan Cuauhtla quicualtia in nemiliztli ihuan quihuelitia in cemanahuac ica cualli.

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