Nudging Vernaculars

Graduate - Options Studio

Fall 2014

Instructor:
Mary-Ann Ray

Shang Shui Gou's history and lifestyle makes it evident that some elements are essential to the everyday life of its residents. These elements are not just architectural but also habitual, things that are familiar to the residents and promote a sense of comfort and belonging. My proposal for the Nudging Vernaculars studio draws from the existing architecture, issues of connecting divided families and the introduction of new technology to a very rural village. By celebrating these elements and incorporating into the design of the new community hub of the village, it will make it easier for the to accept change and learning within the otherwise very traditional and habitual village.

By taking familiar elements of the domestic household such as the kang, chimney, foundation and bay systems and applying transformations to the them, the domestic familiarity of the space starts to be skewed to a more public but still comfortable space. The use of already established elements welcomes the "roots" and history of the village while still "nudging" it into the future. China states that "the way to change with future is through education". The nudging vernaculars project not only helps the villagers attain that type of new education but strives to teach the beautiful way of life that the villagers live today to people who live in the urban parts of China, benefiting all the villages both rural and urban.