ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the findings on the architectural and environmental qualities of the renewed/new courtyard housing in Beijing and Suzhou, such as the way and extent to which daylight access and natural ventilation are achieved. These factors contribute to the concept of harmony with heaven, which is one of the four harmonies identified in Chinese philosophy and one of the four cornerstones of culturally sustainable architecture in China. As traditional Suzhou houses have pitched roofs at a slope between 4:12 and 6:12, Tongfangyuan was built with pitched roofs at a slope of 4:12. The Nanchizi new courtyard housing was designed with 49 new courtyard compounds, each shared by 4-6 households. The Nanchizi new courtyard housing experiment aroused many social debates. Those who were against redevelopment mostly came from cultural circles embracing nostalgia. Many residents who lived in dilapidated courtyard houses desperately wanted redevelopment to improve their living conditions. The Juer Hutong new courtyard housing has varied courtyard sizes.
