Historical house typology constructed in modern city centerThe series of five structures were completed by 2008 in a 25 hectare park in the center of the Yinzhou New Town, Ningbo District, 250km south of Shanghai. The project was commissioned with the following objectives:
- provide a local precinct where natural elements and people can coexist
- use local and readily-available materials and technology to control costs
- illustrate the impact of quality of design rather than expensive raw materials
- set an example for future urban developments in the new city
The project was able to deploy low-cost natural resources, reactivate the manufacture of low-tech/handmade structures, and the use of recycled materials. By promoting the use of local materials and traditional craftsmanship, the buildings have a smaller impact on the environment, and are more energy efficient. In this sense, a balance is struck between nature and human occupation. The project experienced a degree of unsatisfactory construction practice and funding shortfalls. Some of the structures are currently unoccupied.
The park also features the Ningbo Historic Museum, also designed by Wang Shu of Amateur Architecture Studio, which also created Xiangshan Campus and Vertical Apartment at Hangzhou, Wenzheng Library at Suzhou, and Sanhe House at Nanjing.
The Ningbo Historic Museum was designed with nature and specifically mountains in mind, as it is part of Chinese tradition. The building is constructed using fragments of older demolished buildings to make up the walls of this new one, collected from destruction sites all over the region, is in fact an old technique called wa pan, developed by local farmers to cope with natural disasters.
Last updated: 16 June 2011