A unique, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary project involving both Norway and China, preserves old Chinese building traditions by constructing new homes that conform to existing designs in neighbourhoods marked for preservation. To the left is the courtyard where cooking ingredients are being prepared. Today, as the home of nearly two million people, the city is undergoing rapid change. Old, traditional houses with courtyards are being razed to make room for showy modern high-rise buildings in steel and concrete.
China has the world's fastest growing economy.
This is reflected in the hectic construction activity in large cities where new buildings are encroaching on traditional, small-scale housing which, the members of the project feel, should be preserved as part of China's heritage. The goal is to contribute to urban renewal by using principles of sustainable development from ecological, cultural and social perspectives. The buildings used to house a single family. Often the overcrowded courtyard buildings shelter up to five generations with 70 to 80 people living together. As a result, the courtyards were gradually closed in as additional rooms were built to accommodate more families.