Public Service Center in Qingshui Village

The project is located in Qingshui Village, Pingshang Town, Xinshao County, Hunan Province. Qingshui is a typical underdeveloped village. The project goal is to gain economic benefits by attracting tourists, and to improve the village environment.

During the overall process, the design team adhered to the principle of avoiding large-scale demolition or reconstruction. Instead, the team mainly adopted renovation and transformation methods. A host of recycled gray tiles and adobe bricks removed from other structures are applied to the reconstructed public service center, with the goal to show local villagers the unique charm of these plain materials and enable those living in old residences to regain confidence. Only the public service center of Qingshui Village was reconstructed. The building is set back along one side of the site, so as to maximize the activity square space for local villagers. In consideration of the local humid and rainy climate, the building of public service center is topped with overlapping eaves, which can outline a distinctive scene in rainy days. The scale of public service center is harmonious with other constructions in the village, as if it naturally grows out of the land. The spatial design of the building attaches great importance to reasonable organization of circulation route. Moreover, the design team created many corridors, stairways, terraces, etc.. There is a special functional space inside the public service center –library which plays an important role in the communication between villagers and between children.