Contemporary Vernacular Architecture for the Age of Climate Change

This project reconstructs a community hall damaged in the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Located in Toyama, one of Japan’s snowiest regions, it reinterprets vernacular elements such as entrance enclosures and snow screens through a “wearable and shedable” architecture. Users adjust environmental layers and daylight to create comfort with minimal mechanical air-conditioning. Simulations confirm effectiveness in 2050 under a projected +2°C temperature increase. The design reduces whole-life carbon emissions by about 30% and proposes a climate-adaptive regional architecture.