Terrace culture'ing

Idea projektu

Canteen and library for Liang Meng Primary School, located in the rural area of Puan City, China. This small community is inhabited by Buyi minority, one of China's many ethnic groups, where the school houses approximately 200 children. Lack of basic infrastructure and a slow-paced walk to development is perhaps overlooked by one of the best things it has, a strong local culture. The agriculture, folklore and traditions are a key role to keep this community happy and authentic even in difficult times. This proposal for a new building was designed beyond pragmatic but also moral and social demands, surrounding the students with their own culture and bringing the community into the school, leading this building to be a symbol for a new beginning.

Popis projektu

Inspired at the chinese technique of plantation known as ‘terrace farming’, we designed a small mountain invigorating three points of chinese culture;

-Contemplation: creating a terrace that allows a full view of the
landscape in a silent and touching way;

-Agriculture: characterizes a Chinese tradition, which can be taught to
students to bring them closer to the rural culture through practical projects and still provide part of the school food;

-Sitting Terraces: Designed to receive an audience at events and to honor the folklore and musicals of the local culture.

To create the canteen and library, an amphitheater is designed on the largest terrace, with the aim of creating an egalitarian and touching space for such activities to be interpreted respectfully by the students. Thus, we were able to align two objectives:

-The first is to have the students spontaneously
appropriate space by creating a relationship with the building and the experience of reading and meal activities;

-The second is to allow the 200 students to use the building at the same time, because the shape of an amphitheater makes people use the space in an optimized way when sitting.

Resulting in a rudimentary building, of little invested value. But at the same time it creates a poetic space with local and contemporary architecture.

This project is not an example of an innovative and complex building, but a strategic and simple design able to cause a great impact using few demands.

Technické informace

bamboo sticks are laid side by side closing the 100m² circumference, thus creating an intimate and cozy space. The structure of the wood cover, coated with bamboo and straw complete the few materials used.

Spoluautoři

Júlia Fontes Nogueira