Research on the Spatial Sequence of Building Facades in Huizhou Regional Traditional Villages

Under the influences of the regional environment, building communities within traditional villages exhibit regional styles and features. Based on the research team’s early studies, and given the protection and renewal practices of Huizhou traditional villages in Southern Anhui Province, China, this study investigated the spatial sequences of building facades and explicated the laws of these spatial sequences. This research involved a series of technical steps. First, in the case selection stage, typical traditional villages and spatial sequence paths were established. Second, in the data acquisition stage, 3D laser scanning technology was used to acquire building elevation data and conduct 3D modelling. Finally, the measurement indices were determined by vector analysis of the data. Factor analysis and cluster analysis were suitable for the reduction and classification of the above data in order to explore the constitution law of building units. Meanwhile, the regularity of the facade organization of building groups was further quantified by examining the combination and connection relationships between the building and spatial patterns. Then, the laws of facade organization of the building groups were explicated. The purpose of this study is not only to achieve accurate inheritance of historical data information, but also to explore the centralized contiguity mechanism behind the traditional villages through external features from the perspective of rescue. The results demonstrated that there are spatial sequences represented by building facades in Huizhou traditional villages. Moreover, internal laws of “largely identical but with minor differences” in the building unit composition and building group organization were identified. These findings: (1) provide a deeper understanding of the regional characteristics of Huizhou traditional villages in Southern Anhui Province, China; (2) offer a foundation for practical administration requirements; and (3) recognize a novel research perspective and a feasible technical route for the protection of traditional villages in other regions, with an appreciation for the value of spatial sequences.