Results of “Q VILLAGE·XIA MUTANG”: 2018 Third International Colleges & Universities Construction Competition

In the summer of 2018, 21 renowned architectural colleges and universities from China and abroad joined the Third International Colleges and Universities Construction Competition held in the village Xia Mutang, Jiangxi, China.

The International Colleges and Universities Construction Competition has been held since 2016. One village is selected each year with a specific theme for students from renowned architectural colleges and universities both home and abroad. In order to conduct a full process from design to construction under the realistic context of rural development in China. This annual event is committed to contributing the “Beautiful Village” movement as a part of national strategic plan to improve living environment of rural communities, modernize infrastructure and bring new insights for rural construction through design and art.

Time: August 1st___ August 14th

Organizations Sponsor: Wan’an County People’s Government

Organizer: CBC (China Building Centre)

Supporting Media: Urban Environment Design (UED) Magazine

THEME:

This year, the theme of International Colleges and Universities Construction Competition is “Q Village”. Focused on the “fun” of village, “Q Village” emphasizes the importance of “fun making” activity, turning the negative and boring rural spaces into positive and interesting ones through “exploration” and “limited intervene”.

21 internationally renowned architectural colleges and universities including Syracuse University, Hongkong University, Tsinghua University and Tongji University are keen to find efficient and creative ways to stimulate vitality of micro space with a hope to lead a bigger change in rural area. After the site research, follow-up design and construction, participating colleges came out a series of creative proposals that target problems of negative space and made real-life projects which were greatly appreciated by villagers.

On August 18th, 14days after construction working, jury review meeting was held in the village. The jury committee is composed by famous architects and planners from home and abroad. Mr. CUI Kai, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering as the jury chairman, together with architects and professors from prestigious architectural schools such as UCL, The Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Tsinghua University and Tongji University spoke highly of architectural educational achievements in the village.

After a full day of review, the project “Suspended Gallery” which was designed and made by South China University of Technology won the first prize.

FIRST PRIZE WORKS

“Suspended Gallery”School of Architecture, South China University of Technology By using the unique customized-design connecting joint, tensile system is seamlessly combined with the bamboo structure to realize the lightness and floating effect in bridge body, meanwhile it also defines the vernacular aesthetic in modern pattern. “Suspended Gallery” blurred the boundary in between the construction, material, structure and installation, at the same it successfully transcending the relationship of traditional and modern; architecture and art; urban and village.

JURY COMMITTEE

Jury Chairman：

-CUI Kai: Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE); Chief Architect & Honourary Dean of China Architecture Design & Research Group; Director of Land-based Rationalism D-R-C;

Jury Members：

-YANG Baojun: President of the Chinese Academy of Urban Planning & Design; National Engineering Survey and Design

-MasterOle Gustavsen: Rector of the Oslo School of Architecture and Design

-LI Zhenyu: Dean and Professor of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University

-SONG Kun: Professor, Doctoral Supervisor and Secretary of the Party Committee at Tianjin University School of Architecture

-Gilles Retsin: Founder & Co-director of the Design Computation Lab and Programme Director of the B-pro Architectural Design (AD) Master’s programme at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL; Founder of Gilles Retsin Architecture

-CUI Tong: National Engineering Survey and Design Master, Chief Architect of Institute of Architecture Design and Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

-LIU Kecheng: Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of College of Architecture, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology; Director of the Engineering Technology Research Centre of Shaanxi Province Historical Sites & Relics Preservation; Secretary of the Architectural Relics & Cultural Characteristics Committee of UIA

-DING Wowo: Professor, Doctoral Supervisor and Former Dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing UniversityLI Baofeng: Professor, Doctoral Supervisor and Former Dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST); Director of New Architecture (NA) Magazine

-WANG Lu: Professor of the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University

-CAO Xiaoxin: Deputy Chief Architect of China Architecture Design & Research Group; Dean of the Third Design & Research Institute of China Architecture Design & Research Group; Principal Architect of QI Studio

-PENG Lixiao: Chief Editor of Urban Environment Design (UED) Magazine; Guest Professor of School of Architecture, Tianjin University; Director of CBC (China Building Centre); Founder of Louna International Architects’ Village.