Daneel Starr is a PhD researcher at the Liverpool School of Architecture and a Project Manager on the new Liverpool School of Architecture building. He is also Director of Starr Architects. His research focuses on the vernacular architecture and intangible cultural heritage of the Akha people in Xishuangbanna, China, documenting how they are evolving and exploring the possible reasons for these changes.
My journey into Akha architecture
After graduating with my BA from the Liverpool School of Architecture in 2006, I moved to China with the British Council, having chosen the province of Yunnan due to its diverse ethnic landscape of 26 different ethnic groups. Initially on a one-year contract, I quickly made the decision to stay, especially after visiting Xishuangbanna, where 13 of the province's ethnic minority groups are located. I began working in the area as an architect on projects ranging from boutique hotels to satellite city master planning. In my personal life, I met my wife-to-be, who is a member of the Akha minority group, and I increasingly spent time in Xishuangbanna and the village of Alulaozhai. Due to my general interest in architecture, I began documenting the architecture of the area during my spare time, with no other intention than to explore my fascination with the varied architecture and the rate of change in the region.
Documenting a changing village
After returning to the Liverpool School of Architecture in 2015 to undertake my MArch, Professor Iain Jackson explained that the records I had been creating were the beginnings of academic research and that I could begin to formalise this process through my MArch dissertation. I returned to Alulaozhai in 2016 to carry out the first formal documentation of the village through a series of measured surveys, repeat photographic records, and drone documentation. The interest in this research culminated in an invitation to contribute to the Encyclopaedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World. From this point, I continued documenting the village and surrounding area, culminating in my PhD, which I am due to complete over the coming months. Collectively, this research spans 20 years and documents the changing vernacular architecture and intangible cultural heritage of the Akha people in Xishuangbanna, who had, up until this point, been under-represented in the field of architectural research.
Understanding change
Throughout this research, what became clear was that, despite their aesthetic departure from what is considered traditional Akha vernacular architecture, modern Akha houses are as culturally important as traditional examples. While it is important to document traditional vernacular architecture and intangible cultural heritage practices so that records of them remain after they have disappeared or changed, it is equally important that change and modernisation are not automatically seen as cultural losses.
Akha vernacular architecture is not static but has continually evolved to meet the changing needs of the people who inhabit it. Across the five documented house types identified in my research, I found recurring architectural features and cultural practices that have survived despite substantial changes in building materials, construction methods, and internal spatial arrangements.
This does not mean that cultural traditions have remained unchanged. Some architectural features and the practices associated with them have disappeared, while others have adapted to suit contemporary life. However, the construction of a modern house does not automatically mean there has been a break in Akha cultural traditions.
This raised important questions about how we approach architectural heritage. While we seek to preserve traditional buildings and intangible cultural heritage, shouldn't we also recognise the cultural significance of buildings and cultural practices that continue to evolve along with the communities that inhabit them?
Why this research is important
Although my research focuses on a single Akha village in China, its wider significance lies in how the approaches developed can be applied to other communities globally.
By focusing on accessible techniques of documentation, this methodology can be adapted to document remote and under-represented communities elsewhere in the world. The longitudinal nature of the research also demonstrates the value of returning to the same communities over time, allowing changes in architecture and cultural practices to be understood as an ongoing process rather than a snapshot of a particular moment.
Importantly, the research also provides methods for examining contemporary buildings alongside traditional vernacular architecture, recognising that both can hold cultural significance. This approach can be applied to other communities facing similar pressures from modernisation, helping researchers and heritage professionals understand what has changed, what has endured, and what those changes mean to the people who live there.
Ultimately, my hope is that this research will contribute to approaches to architectural and cultural safeguarding that can be applied beyond the Akha, recognising that protecting heritage does not necessarily mean preventing change.
