Text
description from the architects.
Construction
with earthen materials, as one of the oldest traditional technology, was widely
employed all over China during the past thousands of years. According to the
latest statistics, at least 60 million people in China are still living in
various traditional rammed-earth dwellings, most of which are located in poor
and rural regions.
In
recent decades, due to the fact that the earth-based technology is usually
regarded as a “dangerous” tech and a symbol of “poverty” by dwellers and
governments, an increasing number of rammed-earth dwellings have been abandoned
and replaced by conventional constructions with concrete and fired-bricks.
However, limited by the low level of economy, technology and education
conditions, most of renewed concrete-brick-based dwellings have even worse
performances in comfortability, anti-seismic capacity and sustainability.
Macha
Village locates in Huining County, Gansu Province. Macha Village locates in the
dry ravine area on the loess plateau. The village is in extreme lack of water
resources in the using of drinking water. The local dwellings mostly use earth
as the primary material. The basic method of building architecture is using
brick masonry, traditional rammed earth, cob, and wooden structure.
The
activity center locates on a set-back hillside with a slop around 20 degrees.
The hillside faces east and the valley with a good sight view and beautiful
landscape. The space is divided into an open yard for assembly and theater, and
four independent earth houses: multifunctional room(fulfill the need of
training, exhibition, reading, and meeting), shop, clinic and child-care
center(with a small kitchen).
As
the method of special organization, we borrow the conventional yard form in
local traditions and try to incorporated the set-back situation of foundation
to create a triple house courtyard. The triple house courtyard is enclosed by
four different height of earth houses and faces the eastern valley. All the
building material and earth are took from the local area; the process of taking
material and earth is also a modification of the local area. We hope these
earth houses are able to blend in the local landscape naturally just like they
grow from the local earth.
The
0.5-meter-thick rammed-earth wall works well as thermal mass to effectively
balance indoor temperature and humidity. Due to its enhanced waterproofing
performance, it is not necessary to make plastering on the earth wall surface,
so that the special texture of rammed-earth can be felt and touched, and can
express its natural language.The local tradition of rainwater collection got
inherited and further promoted with a roof-ground-based system. The valley wind
resource is utilized with a wind turbine system, and can cover the daily demands
for electricity.
This
project has special construction organization: there is no professional
constructors; around ten local villagers are the center of the whole
construction. They are not only the builders of the center but also the users.
Additionally, with the support of Wu Zhi Qiao Charitable Foundation, about a
hundred of volunteers from mainland, Hong Kong and overseas joined the process
of construction. The finish of activity center is an successful achievement for
both volunteers and local builders.
Local
villagers have natural recognition of cultural identity to the earth house
because they have been lived in the earth house for thousands of years.
However, this recognition of cultural identity is weaker and weaker because of
the modernization as the time goes. Now, we are happy to see this recognition
is back.
The
Macha Village Center, designed by One
Earth Architecture borrows the conventional yard form and local
building traditions of the region to create a courtyard that is enclosed by
four different height of earth buildings that faces the eastern valley. Al
building materials and earth are taken from the local area to blend in the
local landscape in a natural way.
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