From Questionnaire Evidence to Design Insights: Dwellers’ Perceptions of Traditional and Contemporary Architecture in Hangzhou

Rapid globalization has caused the architectural and urban homogenization phenomenon, weakening regional characteristics and architectural and urban identity, especially in many historic cities. To address this phenomenon, this paper explores how urban dwellers perceive these processes, offering a user-centered perspective. The research mainly uses a questionnaire-based survey and selects Hangzhou, China, as the research site. It distributed 500 questionnaires and obtained 435 responses, of which 413 valid adult responses were included in the final analysis. Applying both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the research focuses on two phases: the first phase’s results show that the dwellers primarily identify architectural identity through architectural characteristics and daily spatial experiences, while their dissatisfaction with contemporary architecture is mainly based on cultural disconnect, disharmony with the surrounding environment, and formalism. They prefer architecture that can inherit traditional and local characteristics while offering new interpretations and expressions in the contemporary context. Grounded in this questionnaire evidence, the second phase concentrates on translating these perceptions into design insights and approaches, which are as follows: integrate tradition into the design semantics and concepts; reinterpret traditional spatial composition and reasonably insert formal innovations consistent with the local context; incorporate the use of traditional materials and construction; and enhance the connection between the architecture and the surrounding environment and urban tissue. The paper not only expands the discipline and relevant theories but also provides a user-centered, replicable framework for architectural and urban design that strengthens the regionally specific architectural and urban identity to respond to the challenges of homogenization.