Column Grid Typology and Spatial Organization in Ming and Qing Official-Style Double-Eaved Buildings

Official-style double-eaved buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties accommodate diverse architectural forms and spatial requirements through variations in the correspondence between the upper- and lower-eave column grids. Drawing on 115 examples with hip-and-gable or hip roofs, this study extends the established surrounding-corridor and front-and-rear-corridor types by identifying two further types: the lateral-corridor type, represented solely by the main hall of Dagaoxuan Temple, and the corridorless type. It compares how these four column grid arrangements constrain the end bays at the upper eaves and examines the resulting effects on exterior form and the adjustments to interior space. The analysis further considers square plans formed by the surrounding-corridor and corridorless types and external corridors formed by the surrounding-corridor and front-and-rear-corridor types. The findings explain how column grid design coordinates exterior form and interior space in double-eaved buildings.