BEIJING: On Jan 19, Xue Feng became China’s first ever architect to gain the country’s highest accolade for engineers, the National Outstanding Engineer Award.
Among Xue’s impressive resume of works, including designing the 500,000-square-meter command center at Daxing International Airport and renovating the Wuying Hall Porcelain Gallery in the Forbidden City, is a small, unassuming rural village west of Beijing.
Yanhekou village in Mentougou district was one of many in the area that were destroyed by devastating floods that struck after torrential rains in July last year, leaving its 119 households in ruin.
Xue has headed up a project to rebuild the village and provide its 200 damaged souls with new accommodation in a new community designed with a people-centered approach and demonstrating harmony with nature.
The architect hopes that by the start of the Spring Festival holiday on Feb 10, at least some of the villagers could celebrate in their new homes. Xue has spent a great deal of time and effort to ensure that Yanhekou is rebuilt in the best way possible, with underfloor heating, courtyards and open-air balconies so the villagers can fully put their lives back together.
“Are the gatehouses and surrounding walls aesthetically coordinated? Is the arrangement of the eaves and guttering neat, both for insulation and aesthetics? Where should greenery be placed along the perimeter walls? These are just some of the questions I must ask myself on this project,” Xue said.
“Homes with elderly residents need to have barrier-free pathways constructed, and the brickwork on the perimeter walls must be neatly laid out.”
During his visits to Yanhekou, Xue meticulously inspects each of the 96 houses under construction, taking notes and photographs while providing suggestions for further improvements. His detailed recommendations reflect his vision of an ideal future for the villagers, down to every aspect of their daily lives. “Building houses requires a deep understanding of who is going to live in them. Every detail should be designed to make people enjoy the feeling of being home. What we create for people is not just a house, but their way of life. That’s what makes a good house,” he said.
In the design of the village, Xue has made sure to preserve natural elements such as the existing walnut trees and even the stones washed down the mountain by the floods. He said the village has to “grow naturally” within its environment.
When designing buildings, Xue immerses himself in the perspectives of the people who will ultimately use them, integrating their needs and living scenarios into the design. He then blends these considerations with the surrounding environment to “nurture” each unique design.
“Architecture does not come from textbooks or blueprints; it cannot be filled with data. It must stem from life,” he said.
A notable feature of the design in Yanhekou is the presence of a small door at the rear of each house. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
