Stone White Dorpenaars Se Aktiwiteitsentrum by Minjie Si and Xianfeng Ye

Stone White Dorpenaars Se Aktiwiteitsentrum by Minjie Si and Xianfeng Ye is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award in Brons in Argitektuur-, Gebou- en Struktuurontwerp Competition Category.

BronsArgitektuur· 2022

Stone White Dorpenaars Se Aktiwiteitsentrum

by Minjie Si and Xianfeng Ye

Client: Vrap

A' Design Award in Brons Winner in Argitektuur Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #128207

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Stone White Dorpenaars Se Aktiwiteitsentrum

'n Ruïne-kliphuis wat by die ingangspunt van die dorp geleë is, is gekies as die terrein van die gemeenskapsaktiwiteitsentrum. Die ontwerpuitdaging is om soveel as moontlik die behoud van die oorspronklike struktuur en die installering van nuwe funksies te akkommodeer. Twee bestaande bome word op die terrein gehou, 'n staalbuis-gesteunde trap is rondom die bome gebou, wat lei na 'n nuwe platform wat ook dien as ingang na die tweede verdieping. Gebou tydens die pandemie, is die projek hoofsaaklik deur die plaaslike bevolking voltooi deur 'n gemeenskapsdeelnemende proses met lae-tegnologie metodes.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Brons

Stone White Dorpenaars Se Aktiwiteitsentrum is 'n wenner van die A' Design Award in Brons, 'n hoogs prestigieuse erkenning wat toegeken word aan uitstaande ontwerpe wat gekenmerk word deur kreatiwiteit, vindingrykheid en skerpsinnigheid. Wenners in Brons is ruimskoots vaardige en opvallend kreatiewe artefakte wat die groot ervaring, verbeelding en vindingrykheid van hul ontwerpers bevestig. Daar word verwag dat Stone White Dorpenaars Se Aktiwiteitsentrum 'n hoog aangeskrewe, bewonderde en gekoesterde voorwerp is wat merkwaardig professioneel en innoverend is. Hierdie ontwerp wat die A' Design Award in Brons gewen het, inkorporeer die beste praktyke in kuns, wetenskap, ontwerp en tegnologie en is uitstekend vanweë sy aandag aan detail. Stone White Dorpenaars Se Aktiwiteitsentrum bevredig behoeftes pragtig, raak aan begeertes, bekoor gevoelens en spreek die nuuskierigheid aan.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The activity center for villagers was built during epidemic time, mainly by the locals through community participatory process with low-tech methods. A balance is achieved between built and preserved, specificity and generality, immediacy and evolutionary instinct. The objective is to build open public infrastructure, by reusing the existing traces and imagining their future development. It's a matter of reading the richness of a specific context in order to plan new rurality, capable of stimulating both villagers and out comers.
Dimensions & Packaging: preserved stone wall with thickness of 400mm; light steel structure as main structure to strengthen the existing stone wall and support the new white house above, main column with the dimension of 100mm*100mm; steel tubes with different diameters 30mm,40mm and 50mm are used as an alternative supporting system for stairs and platform.
Tags: regeneration, rural design, stone, tree house, community center, light steel structure
Production Technology: preserved stone wall with thickness of 400mm; light steel structure as main structure to strengthen the existing stone wall and support the new white house above; steel tubes with different diameters 30mm,40mm and 50mm are used as an alternative supporting system for stairs and platform.
Design Challenge: It is difficult to calculate how much steel we need to use to strengthen the existing stone wall and it is difficult to calculate whether we have used enough metal tubes to support the stair and platform. Both the structure is informal, which can only be tested on the site by doing a mock-up. Intelligent reuse and demolishing of the stone wall is also a challenge.
Research: We are trying to achieve a delicate balance between strategy and form, built and preserved, rigor and freedom, specificity and generality, immediacy and evolutionary instinct. The objective is to build open public infrastructures, by reusing the existing traces and imagining their future development. In short, it's a matter of reading the richness of a specific context in order to plan rural culture buildings, capable of stimulating both villagers and out comers.
Inspiration: The activity center for villagers was arranged at the entrance of the community during the regeneration of Feiyue Village, calling for reusing the ruin site of a stone house. The design comes up with the challenge that how to intelligently preserve the original structure and build on the existing traces. A new light-structured white house therefore was designed to rise above the heavy stone walls. Two trees are kept on the site, embraced by steel-tube-supported stairs, give a guide to the new platform above the originals.
Project Duration: The design started in May 2019 and finished in November 2019 in Beijing. The construction of the project started in November 2019 and finished in October 2020 in Feiyue Village, Qichun County, Hubei Province.
Operation Flow: It was built during epidemic time, mainly built by the local villagers through a community participatory process with low-tech methods. Since few people can be found from outside for construction during that special time and same for the transportation of construction materials. Despite of essential light steel structure, we used the metal tubes with different diameters 30mm,40mm and 50mm as an alternative supporting system, which was one of the most economical materials and easy for handcraft.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Minjie Si, 2021
Team Members: Design Team: Minjie Si, Weixiong Jiang, Xue Li, Xuejiao Li, Xinfei Guo
Construction & Manage Team: Xianfeng Ye, Zulong Zheng
Image Credits: Image 1: Photographer Minjie Si, "Stone White" and the Vernacular Surroundings, 2021
Image 2: Photographer Minjie Si, Feiyue Village, 2021
Image 3: Photographer Minjie Si, Aerial View of "Stone White", 2021
Image 4: Photographer Minjie Si, White House above the Preserved Stone Wall, 2021
Image 5: Photographer Minjie Si, Tree Staris, 2021