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ORCID

N/A

Access Type

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

thesis

Degree Program

Architecture

Degree Type

Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)

Year Degree Awarded

2016

Month Degree Awarded

May

Abstract

Nowadays in China, every province is implementing urbanization, which is a national policy goal. In this process, Copinism is very obvious. Almost everything is being done by Western World rules, from buildings to lifestyles; apparently, China needs to learn a lot from the western world. However, with the development of urbanization, the inadequacy of this approach becomes more and more evident, especially in old cities with rich culture heritages. The overly rapid development speed even sharpens the resulted contradictions when it brings chances. With decades of “copying”, it’s time for China, a country with such a different culture system from the West, to turn to substantive innovation, but renovation.

Rongcheng, which is located in the middle-east of China, is a thriving new city with traditional villages occupying the majority of the land. The residential buildings & community typology in Rongcheng have great potentials and opportunities for major innovation. Both village buildings and city buildings have elements that people yearn for. At the meantime, any innovation must consider the general political and economic system in China as a major underlying force. Meanwhile, by starting from the most basic requirements of the residents, including lifestyles and old customs and combining them selectively with mainstream-rules, I aim to create a new kind of building and community that is fitting to the local soil, meets the needs of local people, and directly addresses facets of China. This study about my hometown, Rongcheng, will become a start point for my studies of my homeland.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/8509545

First Advisor

Kathleen Lugosch

Second Advisor

Ray Kinoshita Mann

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