Spatial composition and building techniques of farmhouses prone to windstorms:a case study in Arakawa Village, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

In Arakawa Village, the strong Hira downslope windstorm blowing from Mountains toward Lake Biwa, poses a great challenge for timber housing structures, which are prone to deformation. To understand countermeasures applied in local farmhouses mitigate effect of wind attacks, features historical and land lot layouts Meiji Era (1868–1912) were studied interviews with villagers craftsmen conducted. It was found that significant majority houses built along direction, closed front façade. Contrariwise, subsidiary such as storage buildings retirement houses, placed perpendicularly forming fences protect yards, served agricultural workspaces. The spatial composition have been explained by technical countermeasures; according them, on an incline about 3–5 cm into direction deformation structure. study suggests vernacular building techniques could offer effective strategies sustainable rural planning be employed enhance resistance modern constructions, especially regions powerful prevailing winds worldwide.