JAUE2020-003: Research on Intervention Strategies of External Design Forces in Contemporary Rural Construction Activities in China

Abstract

Over the past two years, a large number of external forces have been gradually introduced into rural construction, especially in the design and exploration activities of modern vernacular houses. However, mostly oriented towards assignments and indexes, the top-down design work is unconsciously brought into a value orientation of elite perspective, which leads to a dislocation of demands between the architect and actual users and an increasing difficulty of scheme’s implementation. Taking the rural construction practice in Zhangluwan Village (chaired by Professor Wang Zhu of Zhejiang University) as the research object, this project adopts participatory observation, empirical research and other methods. On the basis of a detailed understanding of the local rural architecture context, the research group interviews the various parties concerned for their demands and perceptions, so as to clarify their divergences and struggle model in rural construction and finally attempt to summarize a set of "local design" strategies as a reference to architects in rural construction practice.