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Revival of Pingtian Village in Songyang County Sun, et al.

Pingtian village used to have little resting responsibilities at the same time. With the
places. Walking in the village, one feels like burgeoning rural tourism industry, the values
in a cramped maze with the narrow alleys and of rural vernacular architecture started to gain
enclosed rammed earth walls of traditional public recognition. The architects were also
buildings. In the renovation, several buildings learning from traditional building design and
were transformed at the entrance of the techniques. Every building renovation project
village into the Agriculture Museum, the followed strictly the principle of discernibility.
Crafts Workshop and the Designer’s Studio, In places where intervention must be done,
making the enclosed buildings into open discernable materials was chosen. The design
spaces for cultural exhibitions and public respected the evolution of the village and tried
activities. In front of the Papa’s Hostel, there to be creative at the same time. In the
was a triangular patch that was relatively Agriculture Museum in Pingtian, the
spacious. The space was connected with the designers tried different types of light wells
café on the first floor of the Hostel and turned and glass tiles to create a new architectural
into a reception center for the first phase of language of light and shadow. In Muxiang
the project. Architects reshaped the ridge in Caotang, the designer explored a modular
front of the Papa’s Hostel and added method based on the thickness of the rammed
landscaping, making it more welcoming and mud wall to treat doors and windows on the
comfortable. A small house nearby was facade. In the Courtyard Restaurant, the
transformed into a semi-open tea house, designer concerned more about the
creating a space for resting and chatting. relationship between environmental space
Therefore, this triangular patch became an and natural landscape and used metal
attractive public space in the village. It added materials in the corner of the corridor yard [11] ,
new functions to the Hostel and enriched the creating an excellent spot for mountain views.
cultural life of the area. It not only met the The Papa’s Hostel did not change much in the
demand for tourists, but also improved public exterior, but in the interior on the second floor,
spaces in the village. After the completion of the design concept of “room-in-a-room” was
the café’s renovation, it soon became a adopted to create a different way of living and
destination for village elderlies to have chess utilizing space.
games, or for designers and government staffs The architects did not leave after finishing
to have meetings. the design. The model was to combine design,
on-site instruction, and creativity of local
craftsmen. During the yearlong construction,
the designers went to the site for a dozen
times to give instructions and cooperate
closely with local craftsmen, which ensured
the quality of the project and also promoted
the inheritance of local craftsmanship. The
devotion was also recognized by other
professionals. The Papa’s Hostel was named
winner of the 2016 HD Award by the
Hospitality Design Magazine for the category
of “Guestrooms or Suites (Economy),” as
Figure 16. The Triangular Patch in the center of
Pingtian Village, which has become an attractive well as the Silver Award by the A’Design
public space. Source: Photo provided by Haidong Peng Award in Italy. The Agriculture Museum and
Workshop was named First Prize of 2015
The works of the architects expressed their Rural Architecture by the Ministry of
understanding of traditional architecture, as Housing and Development in China. Pingtian
well as their reflections on rural issues, village is now a museum of architectural
showing both their personalities and social design. The works of designers are full of

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