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Classical courtyard houses of Beijing (siheyuan) as a housing typology have attracted interest of people from all walks of life. Due to deterioration, the large-scale demolition of these houses since the 1990s has given rise to heated debates, nationally and internationally. In this book, the author traced the history and design philosophy of the classical Chinese courtyard house; introduced, evaluated, and examined some modern interpretations of it. She further proposed a standardized design template of new Courtyard Garden House for ordinary citizens or middle-income families in Beijing, or elsewhere in the world. The scheme is grounded on the Nine Squares land ownership system in ancient China, urban design studies on robust block dimensions, the optimum courtyard dimensions, and the surveys. The book is intended for scholars and architectural students who care about the past, present, and future housing development in Beijing; it is also for architects and developers who would like to pursue the construction of the new courtyard garden house.

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Donia Zhang (BArch, MA in Urban Design, Oxford Brookes University; MEd in Organizational and Administrative Studies, Brock University) is completing her PhD in Architecture at Oxford Brookes University, UK. She practised architecture for 7 years, taught Art History, and is teaching AutoCAD in Ontario, Canada. Her email: doniazhang@googlemail.com

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