Vernacular Home Basa Rekutanga: Imba Yekumaruwa by Xinyun Li

Vernacular Home Basa Rekutanga: Imba Yekumaruwa by Xinyun Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Mubairo weSimbi we A' Design Award in Zvigadzirwa Zvinoenderera, Mapurojekiti neDhizaini Nyoro Competition Category.

SimbiChigadzirwa Chinoenderera· 2026

Vernacular Home Basa Rekutanga: Imba Yekumaruwa

by Xinyun Li

Mubairo weSimbi we A' Design Award Winner in Chigadzirwa Chinoenderera Category

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The Design

About Vernacular Home Basa Rekutanga: Imba Yekumaruwa

Zvinyorwa Zvebhuku: Imba yechivanhu iri muBangladesh yakagadzirwa uchishandisa zvinhu zvemunharaunda, sematope, mapfumvu, uswa, uye zvidhinha zvinogadzirwa kubva muvhu remunharaunda. Ichiitira mhepo dzinopisa uye mvura zhinji dzinowanikwa, iine denga rakakwira, verandha yakakwiridzirwa, uye kufamba kwemhepo kunopamhana kunotonhodza pasina simba. Mikova iri pamadziro anotarisana nemhepo uye ari kumashure inobudisa kupisa, nepo mikaha yezvidhinha zviviri ichivharira kupisa. Hari dzevhu dziri mumadziro emba yetii dzinotonhodza mhepo. Ichishandisa mabhodhoro ane rita rechiedza mukati, imba iyi ine dzimba dzekurara, kicheni, chimbuzi, matanga emombe, uye imba yetii ine nzvimbo yekutengesa inotsigira raramo yavo painovimbisa zvakavanzika.

The Recognition

About the Mubairo weSimbi we A' Design Award

Mubairo weSimbi we A' Design Award wakahwinwa ne Vernacular Home Basa Rekutanga: Imba Yekumaruwa, rukudzo runokudzwa runopiwa kumadhizaini akanaka anozadzisa zvinodiwa zvehunyanzvi neyeindasitiri zvinotarisirwa kuzvigadzirwa zvakagadzirwa zvakanaka. Vakunda veSimbi vanoratidza unyanzvi hukuru, hunyanzvi hwakakwirira, kunzwisisa kwevakachenjera uye kugona kwekugadzira kwevagadziri vavo. Vernacular Home Basa Rekutanga: Imba Yekumaruwa inotarisirwa kuva chigadzirwa chinokudzwa zvakanyanya, chinoremekedzwa uye chinodiwa, chinoshanda uye chine zvitsva. Dhizaini iyi yakahwina Mubairo weSimbi we A' Design Award inosanganisa maitiro akanakisa eindasitiri uye ine hunhu hwetekinoroji hwakakwana hwakabatana neruzivo nehunyanzvi. Nekushanda kwayo zvakanaka, Vernacular Home Basa Rekutanga: Imba Yekumaruwa inoremekedzwa uye yakagadzirirwa kupa kuvandudzwa kwehupenyu kunobatsira kuita kuti nyika ive nzvimbo iri nani.

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