Practical experience is always an important approach to express one’s viewpoint of the architectural history and to fully understand the relationship between traditional and contemporary architecture. Therefore, Professor Chang carries out his research into the preservation and regeneration of architectural heritage in light of architecture and anthropology. Besides, he applies the research results into practice and puts forward points and strategies like ‘retaining the old as old while adopting new as new’, ‘preservation based on rehabilitation and transformation based on harmony’ and so on (refer to Conservation Strategy of Architectural Heritage, Tongji University Press, 1993). The vernacular architecture research project led by him including several urban and rural project design won the second award of technological advances by Ministry of Education. Such projects like ‘Restoration and Rehabilitation of No.9 on the Bund’、 ‘Historic Research and Conceptual Design of the Former British Consulate Area’、 ‘Conservative Transformation Projects on Fangbang Road in Yu Garden Area’、 ‘Preservation and Regeneration Research Design of the Industrial Heritage on East Bund of Shanghai’、 ‘Recovery for Sangzhutse Fortress in Shrgatse, Tibet’ have exerted certain influence home and abroad. The efforts of Chang Qing Studio on the preservation of architectural heritage have been mentioned in ‘Building a Revolution: Chinese Architecture Since 1980’ by a Hong Kong scholar Xue Qiuli. In a book ‘Beijing Shanghai and Shenzhen’ published simultaneously in Frankfurt and New York by Kai Vockler, a German scholar, the projects of Chang Qing in Shanghai are highly praised as ‘the comprehension of renaissance of tradition by academic architects’.
Recently, Chang Qing and his staff have kicked off new researches into the preservation and regeneration design of vernacular settlement. In the preliminary phase, the staff went on field work over and over, making investigation of oral history through conversations with the locals of the settlement which enabled an emic research from an etic position. They also asked the residents there to depict the original scenes or browsed the pedigree and old files of the clans. Besides, the old streets and landmarks were mapped and recorded, and all the existing buildings in the area were identified, classified and evaluated. The design is characterized by Modification and Improvement, which means the whole existing streets, and blocks are preserved while renovating the water system, old streets and the interior space of the old buildings. In this way, some historic streets and buildings are retained as they were and some once significant public and industrial constructions 20 or 30 years ago are also rehabilitated. Professor Chang and his staff have also spent tremendous time on the original topography and context so that they can implant some modern elements as well as new materials. The new vernacular architecture of the ancient Changhe Town of Hangzhou is a representative project where we have light steel town houses as well as duplex apartment of steel, wood and concrete. The so-called ‘collaged design’ not only takes into consideration the sightseeing and different levels of residence functions, but also brings about the idea to keep some original inhabitants based on family structure and neighborhood relationship.
Due to the above efforts and initial achievements, the Regeneration Design of Clan Lai’s Settlement of Hangzhou won the Golden Prize of the First HOLCIM International Sustainable Architecture Award. The comments from the international panel of experts read ‘the scheme successfully demonstrates how new urban spaces can be integrated within the texture of traditional neighborhoods without wholesale demolition or replacement, thus raising awareness of the importance of sustainability. Also convincing is the ethically sensitive engagement with local residents in order to gain insight into the reality of extended families. With acute attention given to cultural as well as contextual factors, the project provides heightened standards of social and physical space. Ecologically, the project offers important lessons in energy conservation by suggesting an adaptive revitalization of existing conditions, the use of local materials, and cost-effective detailing. By proposing to reduce the consumption of material resources and pursue the regenerative capacities of design, the project provides sound evidence of how to achieve an economic balance. Additionally, the scheme has extended relevance in showing how heritage can be conceived as an aesthetic asset in the development of a contemporary expression for urban environments.’ The key to the problem is that the regeneration design shall be solidly grounded on thorough investigation and study to sort out the trend in the environment and life style of the settlement, to combine both ancient and new elements and space heritage from different phases of civilization and to ‘weave’ the history into the texture of the evolution of the new city.
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