Architects & Engineers Co., Ltd. of Southeast University (AESEU): Winner of Architect of the Year Awards 2024. Nanzhong Village in Yixing is well-known for its cluster of farm-to-table establishments, with many villagers undertaking their own home renovations and modifications. This has resulted in a village aesthetic that varies greatly in quality and cohesion. The project is located at the village entrance by a pond, a landmark in the community. The government aims to leverage this prime location and its accessibility to provide a model for spontaneous construction for villagers. Key factors to encourage emulation include the use of local materials, simple construction techniques, and cost control. The design employs a conventional concrete frame structure combined with exposed red brick walls, which visually and atmospherically maintains the village’s character and collective memory.

Design Challenge:

The site is located near the eastern road leading out of the village, a key access point. It is surrounded by open spaces with a pond across the road and several smaller water bodies nearby, representing the essence of the village landscape. The site originally had a dilapidated house, a concrete platform in front, and a small tree that still survives. The design challenges include how to create a landscape that fits this key village access point, provides a gathering space for villagers, preserves existing natural elements to retain the village’s rustic charm, and integrates functional features that activate the fading collective memory of the villagers.

Design Strategy:

The design respects the natural terrain, enclosing the existing small tree to create a courtyard landscape. Considering that the building’s function was not clearly defined at the initial design stage, the space was planned and laid out with the idea of a “gathering place for villagers” in mind. The design integrates the pond, open space, and landscape, allowing the building to blend seamlessly with the village environment. As a reference model for villagers, ease of construction was crucial. Therefore, the design uses the most familiar frame structure for load-bearing and red brick to showcase the qualities of “local materials, appropriate technology, and hands-on experience” inherent in rural construction. The construction costs are controlled within a range suitable for rural projects and broad adoption.

Additionally, the design aims to preserve village memories by retaining traces of the past. The building’s base is embedded into the platform’s grooves left after the demolition of the derelict house. The combination of two pitched-roof structures of different scales responds to the usage scenarios of rural courtyards.

Design Innovation:

As a model for rural construction, details are essential to enhance the overall village appearance while continuing the village’s memory. Elements such as eave boards, triangular braces, the roof truss, and the beam-column system clearly present the construction logic. The assembly of brick walls, wooden purlins, and bamboo sheds retains a rough and uneven texture that contrasts sharply with the precision of exposed concrete, smooth steel frames, and clear glass. The use of flat-roof corridors meets the needs for semi-outdoor shaded areas while achieving a modern visual effect and ease of construction. Extending the flat roof indoors balances the structure and reduces the use of beams and columns, providing villagers with a unique indoor-outdoor integrated design system.

Social Significance: Unlike urban construction, rural construction often involves local craftsmen and villager participation. The construction of the community dining hall in Nanzhong Village demonstrates the possibility of achieving multiple goals simultaneously. As a village construction model, it employs the most common frame structure and brick façade, using materials and techniques familiar to the community, thereby extending and enhancing the village’s cultural heritage and amenity. The completion of the dining hall preserves the village memory and, as a model, continues to subtly influence subsequent development in the village.

Project Details:-
Firm
Architects & Engineers Co., Ltd. of Southeast University (AESEU)

Architect
SHEN Yang

Project Name
A Touch of Red by the Pond: Nanzhong Village Community Canteen

Project Category
Public Building Built

Team
SHEN Yang, YU Haiyang, LANG Yecheng, LI Ke, YUAN Yizhan, FAN Cheng (Architecture); YANG Bo (Structure)

Project Location
Dingshu Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province, China

Country
China

Photography ©Credit
XU Haohao, SHEN Yang