Masterplan. Image Courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti

“We easily forget that the rural areas provide sustainability to our daily lives,” explained Stefano Boeri in Shanghai during an invitation from Anhua Chen, Project Leader of Slow Villages Co-Building. “It is an inevitable necessity of architecture to confront the speed of evolution while also feeding it with the richness of the past. For this reason, we have proposed to enhance the agricultural villages with a system of small but precious catalysts of local culture, able to improve the lives of the residents.”

School Visualization. Image Courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti

The school, library and museum become three cultural centers that can act as catalysts for the construction of more facilities and cultural spaces in these disconnected regions. They also promise economic benefits through Chinese and international tourism. The project interprets architecture as a “porous territorial device,” able to reactivate the rich and diverse history of rural Chinese communities.

Library Visualization. Image Courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti

“Preserving the rural environment means protecting the cultural diversity,” confirms Yibo Xu, Shanghai partner of Stefano Boeri Architetti. “Significant efforts have been made in the latest decades in China with regard to the urban questions, and in the future greater attention should be paid to the versatility of expressions, traditions and patrimonies of the countryside.”

Elevations and Plans. Image Courtesy of Stefano Boeri Architetti

• Architects
  

  Stefano Boeri Architetti China

• Partners
  

  Stefano Boeri, Yibo Xu

• Project Director
  

  Pietro Chiodi

• Project Architects
  

  Claudia Scaglioni, Moataz Faisal Farid

• Design Team
  

  Huang Zhiyang, Jiang Linhong, Krista Skujina

• Graphic Content
  

  Cecilia Picello

• PR and Communication
  

  Dong Li, Gong Ting, Xie Ying

• Collaborators
  

  Lifang, Sebastiano Conti Gallenti

• Project Year
  

  2018

News via: Stefano Boeri Architetti.

• Architects

  Stefano Boeri Architetti China

• Partners

  Stefano Boeri, Yibo Xu

• Project Director

  Pietro Chiodi

• Project Architects

  Claudia Scaglioni, Moataz Faisal Farid

• Design Team

  Huang Zhiyang, Jiang Linhong, Krista Skujina

• Graphic Content

  Cecilia Picello

• PR and Communication

  Dong Li, Gong Ting, Xie Ying

• Collaborators

  Lifang, Sebastiano Conti Gallenti

• Project Year

  2018