Community space and infrastructure, Xianshui, China, 2016

A collaborative project that evolved from building a prototype structure to addressing broader infrastructural needs in the village of Xianshui-cun.

Xianshui-cun is a small village of 2,000 people in Hunan Province, China. The project initially aimed to explore the need for, and ambition of renovating a deteriorating 300-year-old communal building and ancestral hall. Reusing materials from collapsed buildings, a small prototype structure was built in collaboration with students from Hong Kong University and residents. This hands-on activity mobilized attention and facilitated broader discussions among villagers, shifting the focus from building a community space to rather addressing urgent infrastructural improvements in the village. Further mapping workshops were conducted to reflect on necessary improvements, during which, the community identified pressing needs for improved roads and water distribution systems. As a result, this collaborative effort evolved into a catalyst for enhancing village infrastructure, strengthening community bonds, and improving living conditions. Recognizing these priorities, the local municipality implemented improvement works based on the findings made during the process.

Team: Alexander Eriksson Furunes,
Lihua Ma, Gao Yan & Miaoran
Partner: Hong Kong University
& Architecture in Development (AiD)