RURAL URBAN FRAMEWORK Sample

Rural Urban Framework is the research and design of Joshua Bolchover and John Lin, Assistant Professors at The University of Hong Kong. The research takes place within the diverse and contested landscape currently under rapid formation between rural and urban centers of China. This zone is neither rural nor urban, is politically uncertain, and often takes advantage of grey areas in government policy. Within this context, each project attempts to balance the drive for development with sustainable considerations. Working with various NGO s, local Chinese governments, bureaus of education and ministries of construction along with other universities and students, the projects seek unconventional and collaborative ways of funding and building architecture. The projects are conducted within the Community Project Workshop (CPW) of the Faculty of Architecture at The University of Hong Kong. RURAL URBAN FRAMEWORK Sample 城村构架为 Joshua Bolchover 和林君瀚二人的研究设计课题 该研究的背景, 处于中国农村与城市之间高速形成的多样且有争议的地域 这个地域既非农村又非城市, 模糊的行政制度使它得益于政策的灰色地带 在这背景下, 每一个设计项目都试图将可持续的考虑与发展的需求相平衡 在与当地政府和非政府组织, 教育和建设部门以及其它大学师生的合作过程中, 这些项目不断探求有别于传统且多元合作的方式去投资并建造 项目由香港大学建筑学院社区项目工作坊 ( 即 CPW) 掌管执行, CPW 乃致力于社区建设的非牟利建筑设计机构 www.rufwork.org

OFFICE TOWERS HOTEL DEMOLITION SITE I I URBAN VILLAGE CYCLE OF DEVELOPMENT EXTINCTION: DEVELOPMENT OF LOOP HOLES RURAL AND URBAN CITIZENSHIP HUKOU POLICY SKYLINE SHENZHEN CITY II SUBURBAN CHINA RISE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS NEW LEISURE LANDSCAPES: GOLF THEME PARKS AND BOURGEOIS VILLAS SINGLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT LEFTOVER FISH POND AND FIELD REAL ESTATE HOUSING CONSTRUCTION SPA II STRAWBERRY FIELDS III FACTORY TOWN FROM AGRICULTURE TO INDUSTRY GATED COMMUNITIES FLOATING POPULATION SECONDARY CITIES IVa EMPTY HOUSES FACTORY III IV CONTESTED TERRITORY FARMER VS DEVELOPER RURAL CAPITALISM ABANDONED STRUCTURES CONSTRUCTION SITE IVb TERRAIN VAGUE VIa HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION GRAZING LAND RECYCLING V HIGHWAY PRODUCTION LINE RURAL INDUSTRY GENERIC CONSTRUCTION HIGHWAY URBANISM HIGHWAY V STREET MARKET NEW RURAL HOUSING GRAIN DRYING WASTE CONCRETE TUBES VI DEGRADED FARMLAND LOSS OF AGRICULTURE LAND POLLUTION AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY RICE FIELD VIb TRADITIONAL HOUSING VII VII VILLAGE COMMUNITY GARDEN MODERNITY AND TRADITION RURAL LIVELIHOOD GENERATION GAP NEW HOUSING OLD SCHOOL DRYING RACK YANZHOU ECO-ISLAND GUANGDONG PROVINCE JIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS JIANGXI PROVINCE TAI PING BRIDGE GUIZHOU PROVINCE TONJIANG PRIMARY SCHOOL JIANGXI PROVINCE QINMO NEW SCHOOL GUANGDONG PROVINCE QINMO OLD SCHOOL GUANGDONG PROVINCE

城村构架 过去的三十年, 中国城市经历了极端及明显的发展 与此同时, 在中国农村及小镇中亦发生了同样剧烈的转变, 相比之下则较不明显 庞大的迁移, 中产阶级的崛起与农村生态的衰落开始打破了中国农村城市对立平衡的传统概念 于 2030 年前迁移 4 亿农村居民至城市的计划, 以及城市化吸纳新土地作经济发展的需求, 同时导致农业用地与城市土地日渐严峻的僵局 此外, 中国的经济崛起导致社会两极分化, 而使每个公民被介定为城市居民和农村居民的中国户籍制度亦同时造成与维持这两极分化的状况 此制度将城市与农村在发展 医疗 受教育方面的权利区分开来, 更扩大了城市与农村差别 然而, 城市与农村发展过程的相互关系中, 土地属性转化, 造成了一种多元而界限模糊的地域 在此地域之内, 政策 土地产权 发展权与个人土地投资之间形成了争议, 农民 开发商 当地政府部门 工厂拥有者及外国投资商之间互相博弈 这些地域代表中国经济复苏中的关键 它们把有漏洞的政策和体系 黑市的灰色地带 个人与集体行为的差异 个人利益与社会福利的矛盾都表露出来 它们展示出城市化的特色形态, 制造出独特的地区个性 它们诠释了一个中转状态 : 半完成的, 半废弃的或半拆毁的 它们是有活力的 : 它们是一个活生生的例子, 呈现出在全球性经济发展下, 个别地区与宏观规划力量的抗争 这项研究的背景即为我们项目的設計框架 研究致力于理解这些过程, 并从中发展出设计手法, 范围遍及农村学校, 到农业教育及社区中心, 以至生态岛屿的规划策略等建筑项目 每一个项目在都包含了中国持续的转型及发展之下所形成的内在张力 这些实例说明了农村与城市之间的对立关系 我们的目的是去理解这样的背景, 行动于其中, 并思忖中国农村的可持续性发展以配合其经济的腾飞 RURAL URBAN FRAMEWORK The last 30 years has witnessed the extreme and visible development of the Chinese city. During this time there has been a less visible but equally drastic transformation happening in the villages and small townships of rural China. Mass migration, the rise of the middle class and the collapse of a rural livelihood have begun to breakdown a traditionally balanced notion of rural and urban counterparts. The plan to move 400 million rural citizens into cities by 2030 and the drive to urbanize to provide new areas for economic growth have produced a tension between agricultural land and urban land that is reaching a critical impasse. In addition, China s economic rise is producing an increasingly polarized society, instrumentalised and maintained through the Hukou registration policy whereby every citizen is either registered as a rural or urban resident depending on where they were born. This policy distinguishes between land development rights, health care, and access to education regulating and enforcing the division between the city and the countryside. Nevertheless the inter-relation between urban processes and rural processes has produced a diverse landscape of blurred, ambiguous territories as land is being transformed. It is these zones which play out the contestation between policies, land ownership, development rights and individual land speculation; between farmers, developers, local government, factory owners, or foreign investors. These zones represent a critical juncture in China s ongoing economic revival they bring to light unresolved regulations or loopholes in the system, black-market grey areas and discrepancies between individual and collective action, between individual profit and compensation. They demonstrate specific forms of urbanization producing unique characteristics. They often describe in-between states: half finished, partially abandoned, or half demolished. To this extent they are dynamic: exemplifying the struggle between local and large scale forces attributed to global economic development. This research context is the framework for our projects. The research work looks to understand these processes as well as to extract design tools for architectural projects ranging from village schools to a master-plan strategy for an eco-tourist island resort, to an agricultural education and community centre. Each project somehow encapsulates China s relentless transformation and with it the inherent tensions underlying such growth. The dialectic between rural and urban is most pronounced in these instances. The intention is to understand this context, act within it and speculate on how China will consolidate economic growth with agricultural sustainability. 1

I URBAN VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT OF LOOP HOLES: CYCLE OF DE- VELOPMENT EXTINCTION, HUKOU POLICY, RU- RAL AND URBAN CITIZENSHIP These clusters of densely packed and loosely regulated enclaves in the cities are the results of tradeoffs between the government and villagers when claiming large tracts of farmland for further urban expansion. These areas continue to be regulated under rural ownership laws (which prevent city dwellers from owning land but allow villagers to own land collectively) and have resulted in compact politically autonomous islands embedded in China s modern cities. In addition, the right s of these rural dwellers to build a dwelling and the demand for cheap migrant worker housing transformed local farmers into property developers. These areas have also become known for gambling, prostitution and other illegal activities. Outside of the system, but absolutely necessary for the phenomenal construction and maintenance of the city, these Urban Villages have become an intractable problem for city planning. 2

II SUBURBAN CHINA RISE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS, NEW LEISURE LANDSCAPES: GOLF THEME PARKS AND BOUR- GEOIS VILLAS It is anticipated that in 2025 China will have the largest middle class in the world. Ironically, the rise of this middle class is being fueled by the current middle class of America. As the largest consumer of Chinese exports worldwide, the American middle class in their suburban settings is paying in part the wages of the over two hundred million migrant factory workers on their way to the American dream. The current plan to move 400 million of the 700 million rural residents into cities by 2030 will present not only a major economic feat but also a spatial problem. Already as the numbers of middle class rise and their wealth increases, more are seeking out high-end Western-style villa developments in the urban periphery as well as gated communities. The growing demand for entertainment and leisure has created a phenomenon of huge spa and karaoke complexes, golf courses and theme parks. If suburbia as we know it is the solution of middle class America then given the scale and density of the middle class aspirations in China we wonder what form will it take? 3

YANGZHOU ISLAND MASTERPLAN, GUANGDONG PROVINCE DETAIL MASTERPLAN YANGZHOU Island MASTERPLAN, GUANGDONG PROVINCE PROGRAM Yanzhou Island masterplan is a concept and design for a new eco-recreational park. The goal is to convert a historic village, its farmlands and fishponds located on an island in the Pearl River Delta into a diverse leisure landscape. The strategy seeks to create many different islands of programs hidden within the existing rural landscape. Condensing programs to minimize environmental impact is also an attempt to maximize the experience of the island itself. Different programs respond seasonally as well as to tidal changes in the delta. Existing fishponds, temples and village houses are incorporated into the design as well as new programs for a spa, garden/restaurant, clubhouse, hotel and various floating islands accessible by boardwalk. The goal is to enhance and maintain the character of the rural village and adapt it into a sustainable recreational destination within the PRD. Date: 2008-2009 Size: 33,000 sqm Total Cost: 4,600,000 usd Unit Cost: 140 usd/sqm 4

III FACTORY TOWN FROM AGRICULTURE TO INDUSTRY, GATED COMMUNITIES, FLOATING POPULATION, SECONDARY CITIES China is best known as the world s factory. It contains some of the densest factory agglomerations in the world. These semi-urban conditions consist of a huge work force made up primarily of migrant labor freely circulating from factory to factory. Unlike previous models of industrial cities, there is no apparent organizing structure. This seemingly random landscape seems to promote fluidity above all else. Analogous to how the global economy needs fluidity of capital in order to function, the market urbanism of factory towns relies on the fluidity of capita. The physical landscape in turn reflects such market conditions. Gated factories and gated communities exist in isolation, capable of expansion and self reliant as systems of work and leisure, they have no relation whatsoever to anything else in the landscape. With hardly any public facilities, all formal public spaces exist behind closed gates. The highly controlled and autonomous environments inside gates are only contrasted by the extreme chaos of the landscape outside. 5

IV CONTESTED TERRITORY FARMER VS DEVELOPER, RURAL CAPITALISM, ABANDONED STRUCTURES The continuing conversion of rural territory into urban substance through various means is blurring the lines, which define not only their physical boundaries but their economies. The areas which are outside the cities, the large expansive peripheries once occupied solely by rice paddies is rapidly and simultaneously transforming into a generic territory, neither strictly urban nor rural, dotted with factories and isolated residential towers amidst remnants of farmland. This land is still under the legal designation of rural territory and continues to develop in a haphazard manner through coalitions of rural committees, developers, individual farmers and village governments. The growth of this peripheral zone is much faster, more ruthless and seemingly devoid of planning control even compared to the infamous growth of Chinese urban areas. This proto-rural territory is a contested space, organized along territorial lines of traditional farming plots, being speculated simultaneously as new residential communities and high end industrial parks. As opposed to the past development of cities, which were government organized and led, this wave of development is propagated by individual farmers and village co-operatives eager to catch up. 6

JIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, JIANGXI PROVINCE LIVE WORK PLAY PROGRAM JIAN Secondary SchoolS, Jiangxi PROVINCE The Jian county schools are 4 secondary schools with a total of 3,300 students and 1,800 live-in students from nearby rural areas. The design is a school prototype that can be adapted to different program requirements and different site conditions. The initial strategy is to create a perimeter building that frames a large courtyard. This wall, much like a traditional old city wall contains the inner public life of the school. Additional public and social functions of the school such as the library, the canteen, the art block and the administration building, push into this space activating the courtyard. The courtyard space acts as a CAMPUS an interconnected space for living, working and socializing. The campus is further broken into smaller spaces that relate to each of the social functions to create MICRO-COMMUNITIES within the larger space. Each of the buildings that are inserted into the courtyard are LANDSCAPE BUILDINGS: each has a specific landscape idea linking the building to the landscape. The library rises up from the ground as a series of steps leading to an outdoor terrace, the canteen is cantilevered forming a pleasant shaded area for dining, the art-block has an inner courtyard allowing the classroom activities to spill outside during good weather and the office block has a multi-function meeting room that receives light from both sides. Date: 2009-current Size: 24,000 sqm Total Cost: 3,000,000 usd Unit Cost: 125 usd/sqm ADMINISTRATION ART/MUSIC/DANCING CANTEEN LIBRARY LANDSCAPE BUILDINGS 7

V HIGHWAY PRODUCTION LINE RURAL INDUSTRY, STRIP URBANISM, GENERIC CONSTRUCTION As in many developing countries the rapid transformation of rural territory directly into industrialized urban substance has been accompanied by mass migrations of workers to new urban centers. Since 2008 and the onset of global recession, those millions of workers are going home. It is estimated that in China alone over a 6 month period, 20 million workers have left cities and returned to their rural homes. The mass migration of workers to and from cities has created a landscape of movement and a unique brand of highway urbanism. Along this highway lines the production of building materials and sites of material refinement. Entire towns of blue trucks specialize in transportation of construction materials into the cities and its urban peripheries. The majority of buildings constructed in China has nothing to do with architects, forming instead a brutal new vernacular of concrete standardized blocks and colorfully tiled facades. 8

TAI PING BRIDGE RENOVATION, GUIZHOU PROVINCE STAGES 1. In the summer of 2005 the arch of this Qing Dynasty Bridge collapsed under heavy rainfall and flooding 2. Scaffolding is constructed during a two month dry season 3. The arch is rebuilt with precast concrete blocks TAIPING BRIDGE RENOVATION, GUIZHOU PROVINCE The TaiPing Bridge Project was a two-year reconstruction and surface renovation project of a historic 300 year-old bridge in Guizhou Province, China. Like most rural areas in China, the village has undergone massive changes, reflective of the rapid urbanization process elsewhere. The project attempted to reconcile the long history of the existing masonry construction with modern techniques of pre-cast concrete. Though the primary task was to repair a collapsed arch, the larger problem was how to revitalize the once important and historic location. Pre-cast concrete was used to rebuild the arch as well as pave the bridge. Bridge pavers were custom designed to transform into planters at various scales as well as seating. In this way the bridge was re-programmed as a public space. Volunteers and villagers planted the bridge with a combination of donated plants and wild varieties sourced from the surrounding mountains. Date: 2006-2009 Size: 200 sqm Total Cost: 25,000 usd Unit Cost: 125 usd/sqm 4. The bridge face is rebuilt from stones recovered from the bridge collapse. 5. A new waterproofing layer is applied 6. The bridge is paved with custom designed concrete pavers to provide seating and planting areas 7. The planting of the bridge is conducted with volunteers and villagers together 9

TAI PING BRIDGE RENOVATION, GUIZHOU PROVINCE 10

TAI PING BRIDGE RENOVATION, GUIZHOU PROVINCE 11

TONGJIANG PRIMARY SCHOOL, JIANGXI PROVINCE Tongjiang PRIMARY School, JIANGXI PROVINCE Responding to the prevalence of demolition in rural areas this project proposes a strategy for recycling old buildings into a new primary school in Tongjiang county. The project brief required replacing an existing school building with a new building and expanded program. Our proposal for the demolition of the old building is to reuse the rubble as a growing medium and insulation on the proposed green roof. In the meantime, traditional green bricks no longer manufactured will be collected from demolition sites of old houses in this historic region. These bricks will be used as a large screen wall and ground paving for the school. PROCESS Date: 2010-current Size: 600 sqm Total Cost: 90,000 usd Unit Cost: 150 usd/sqm RECYCLING Reusing brickwork of the demolished school building COLLECTING AND RECYCLING Collection of local traditional building materials and bricks 12

VI DEGRADED FARMLAND LOSS OF AGRICULTURE, LAND POLLUTION, AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY The dwindling supply of fertile arable land due to urbanization is exacerbated by a growing population that is wealthier and consuming more meat per capita than ever before. The reduction of available agricultural land pressurizes the supply of food, water and energy demanded by China s urban population, intensifying the consumption of fertilizers and chemicals. Agriculture is currently a bigger source of water contamination than factories. In the Pearl River Delta where there are 10 cities with a population over 1million and an estimated total population of 120 million people, the ratio between the amount of agricultural land necessary to support the given population has already reached its limit. 13

QINMO VILLAGE PROJECT, GUANGDONG PROVINCE QINMO VILLAGE PROJECT, GUANGDONG PROVINCE Qinmo Village Project is aimed at the long-term sustainable development of a rural Chinese village. Located in Huaji County at the western border of Guangdong Province, the area is one of the poorest in China, with yearly earnings as low as 200 USD and only 6 hours drive from Hong Kong. The project goes beyond mere building construction by integrating educational programs and sustainable concepts. Initiated in 2006 as part of a design workshop to re-think the standard 3 story concrete buildings which are typically donated as schools in rural areas, the designs stressed sustainability and ecological responsibility. Today in 2010, the full scope of the work involves 7 different projects which are funded individually by charitable organizations from Hong Kong. Every building project is coupled with a program initiative that emphasizes the education of villagers, whether it is through a school roof garden as an alternative teaching facility or the demonstration eco-household farm. Most importantly by improving on what and how to farm, the economic viability of the villagers can be strengthened. The failure of the farm system forces the young and able-bodied to migrate to cities, finding alternative ways to make a living as migrant laborers. Only the elderly and children remain in most villages. Not only has the concept of a rural livelihood been eroded, the entire social structure is at risk. The project seeks to re-build the notion of the village as a community and to reinforce the idea that education is the primary tool for sustainable development. The designs of the various projects are themselves adapted from and learn from the existing typologies and construction methods of rural China. Simple variations in the use of concrete screen or brick work, the adaptation to existing landscape conditions and the re-programming of outdated buildings all inform on the generic conditions of design in rural China. To this day the project continues to involve students, professionals and organizations from China and Hong Kong together in a coordinated effort to explore and find new solutions to the way in which rural transformation can happen. OLD School, COURTYARD AND COMMUNITY GARDEN Date: 2006-2010 Size: 2000 sqm Total Cost: 170,000 usd Unit Cost: 81 usd/sqm 14

QINMO VILLAGE PROJECT, GUANGDONG PROVINCE 15

QINMO VILLAGE PROJECT, GUANGDONG PROVINCE 16 2

QINMO VILLAGE PROJECT, GUANGDONG PROVINCE 6. 4. 5. 3. 7. 5. 1. 3. 4. 2. 2. 8. 1. 1. QINMO COMMUNITY CENTER The original village school is renovated and transformed into a community center with a program of meeting room, dormitory, large dining area, communal kitchen and office space. The center will be used by the villagers as well as a place to host eco-workshops and volunteers. Qinmo Eco Household the demonstration household farm will include pigs and chickens, a greenhouse and a selection of vegetables. expertise in setting up the farm will come from staff of Kadoorie farms in Hong Kong. 2. QINMO VILLAGE PUBLIC SPACE The village center is programmed through landscaping and integration of concrete furnitures. 3. QINMO PRIMARY SCHOOL The school gets its shape from the existing rice terraces on the site and blends into the agricultural landscape. The linear structure of classrooms creates a public space facing the village side and classrooms with views to the landscape on the other side. Its facade is made of colorful bricks which are individually painted by the villagers. 4. QINMO SCHOOL PLAYGROUND The basketball court and playground connect directly with the stepped seating resulting in a theater space that is used for village events as well as morning roll call and exercise sessions. 5. QINMO SCHOOL LIBRARY The library is built as a playful landscape for students. Instead of furniture, the floor is raised to create void islands for seating and reading. 6. QINMO SCHOOL ROOF GARDEN The roof is transformed into a series of community gardens belonging to the classrooms below. The students will engage in caring for the garden as part of their educational curriculum. 7. QINMO SCHOOL TOILET A typical village toilet is wrapped in a screen of open brick structure resulting in better ventilation and light. 17

QINMO VILLAGE PROJECT, GUANGDONG PROVINCE 18

VII VILLAGE COMMUNITY MODERNITY AND TRADITION, RURAL LIVELI- HOOD, GENERATION GAP, DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT The traditional relationship between the countryside and the city, the farm and the factory has become exploited and increasingly complex within the processes of globalization. Trapped in a cycle of migration to urban areas, the villages in China have lost their productivity. Their out-dated farming techniques are increasingly damaging to the environment and also to any Orer long-term sisis nonullam, economic vercil sustainability. utat nostincipit The il ipit failure velenisl farm doluptatue system forces vel ulla the facilit, young corperilit and able-bodied ullut erat. Ut to of the migrate lortisit to autpat, cities, consequi finding tat. alternative Veniat praessed ways to dolenim make a living ing as ea amet migrant amcommy laborers. nulla Only faci the endit elderly iure mod and children dipiscilit remain iuscilis in most nonsendigna villages. Not augiamc only has tat. the Veniat concept of praessed a rural livelihood dolenim ing been ea amet eroded, amcommy the entire nulla faci social structure endit iure is mod at risk. dipiscilit Major iuscilis demographic nonsendigna shifts augiamc in the overall population have created a gender imbalance which will result in an estimated 30 million more men than women by 2020. 19

CREDIT The Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong Ralph Lerner FAIA HKIA, Dean and Chair Professor of Architecture Community Project Workshop (CPW) Tris Kee, RAIC HKIA Registered Architect, Director Inaciso Chan, Research Assistant Rural Urban Ecology in the exhibition Quotidian Architectures, Venice Biennale 2010 Joshua Bolchover and John Lin Exhibition Team: Christiane Lange Joe Qiu, Keith Hui, Paul Mok, Nathaniel Lam, Rebecca Wang, Anna Wan Yanzhou Island Masterplan, GUANGDONG PROVINCE Design: Joshua Bolchover and John Lin Project Team: Calvin Liang, Martha Tsang Client: Zhaoqing Development Company Jian Secondary Schools, Jiangxi PROVINCE Design: Joshua Bolchover and John Lin Project Team: Hei Ho Jess Lumley, Christiane Lange Carol Nung, Law Wai Yue, Wong Yok Fai, Mariane Quadros de Souza, Joe Qiu, Suzy Liu, Maggie Hua, Keith Hui Commissioning Donor: Yanai Foundation TAI PING BRIDGE RENOVATION, GUIZHOU PROVINCE Project Leader: John Lin Engineering Advisor: Dr. Xing Shijian Students: Jiaxin Chum, Li Bin, Abdul Yeung, Charles Lai, Gu Lik Hang, Cheng Hiu Tung, Zhang Xudong, Lau Hiu Yeung, Chu Ling Tung, Cheung Wai Nga Commissioning Donor: Wu Zhi Qiao Foundation Collaborating Institutions: The University of Hong Kong, Chongqing University TONGJIANG PRIMARY SCHOOL, JIANGXI PROVINCE Design: Joshua Bolchover and John Lin Project Team: Christiane Lange Anna Wan, Jess Lumely, Mariane Quadros de Souza Commissioning Donor: World Vision Additional Donors: Luke Him Sau Charitable Trust QINMO VILLAGE PROJECT, GUANGDONG PROVINCE Design: Joshua Bolchover and John Lin Project Team: Abdul Yeung Gary Chan, Tammy Chow, Kenneth Lau, Hugo Ma, Tim Mao, Danny Tang and students from Sacred Heart Canossian College Commissioning Donor: Matthew Cheng + Peggy Young / Green Hope Foundation Additional Donors: Lucy Tsai / Chinese Culture Promotion Society, Luke Him Sau Charitable Trust, Hope Education Foundation, Kadoorie Farm and Garden Corporation RURAL URBAN FRAMEWORK, BOOKLET Graphic Design, Cover Image: Christiane Lange 20

Community Project Workshop (CPW) The Faculty of Architecture at The University of Hong Kong is a comprehensive school of architecture, dedicated to teaching, research and community engagement. A significant number of academic staff are actively involved in the designing of, and planning for, community projects. They are also engaged in a broad range of community-based projects in China, Hong Kong, and Macau. This has led to the establishment of the Community Project Workshop (CPW) 香港大學建築學院社區項目工作坊.The CPW is an organization providing design and consultancy services to government and non-government organizations, and undertakes other non-commercial projects requiring interdisciplinary expertise drawn from all the disciplines of the Faculty: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Real Estate and Construction, and Urban Planning and Design. The community projects undertaken by the CPW are aimed to cope with the pressing and changing community s needs in our society. CPW teams consider the rationale behind the current design and planning concepts of each community project, generating sensitive and practical design ideas. CPW adopts an interactive / participatory approach in order to meet the specific objectives of the community, leading to a continuous process of discussion and feedback in order to determine a community s aspirations and needs. http://fac.arch.hku.hk/cpw/ SHAANXI Xian SHIJIA VILLAGE Nanchang JIANGXI XINGAN Joshua Bolchover is an Assistant Professor at the University of Hong Kong where he is researching and designing buildings in rural China. Recent exhibitions include Utopia Now: Opening the Closed Area, a research project on the Hong Kong and Shenzhen border at the Venice Biennale 2008. He has curated, designed and contributed to several international exhibitions including Get it Louder, a touring exhibition in China; Airspace: What Skyline does London want; Hydan; Can Buildings Curate and has exhibited at the HK-SZ Biennale. Joshua was a local curator for the Manchester-Liverpool section of Shrinking Cities between 2003 and 2005. He has collaborated with Raoul Bunschoten, Chora researching strategic urban projects and has worked with Diller + Scofidio in New York. Previously he has taught architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, London Metropolitan University, Cambridge University and the Architectural Association. He was educated at Cambridge University and at the Bartlett School of Architecture. TAIPING GUIZHOU Guiyang QINMO JISHUI YONGXIN TONGJIANG SUICHUAN Guangzhou GUANGDONG John Lin is an Assistant Professor at the University of Hong Kong. He was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the US in 1983. After studying in both the Art and Engineering programs at The Cooper Union in New York City, he received a professional degree in Architecture in 2002. His experimental constructions have been published widely and exhibited in the Architecture Park (Kolonihaven) at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen (2004), the Hong Kong & Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism (2007), the Beijing Architecture Biennale (2008) and at the Venice Biennale (2008). He has received two commendations for his Qinmo Village School and the TaiPing Bridge Renovation projects in the Architecture Review Awards for Emerging Architecture (2009). His current research concerns the relationship between Rural and Urban China with a focus on the sustainable development of Chinese Villages. He has taught previously at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. SAN JIA Haikou HAINAN YANZHOU ISLAND Hong Kong PROJECT+ RESEARCH SITE RESEARCH JOURNEY www.rufwork.org 21