Winners citation:
The Shajing Ancient Fair project skillfully employs an "urban acupuncture" approach to insert minimal design interventions and programming at key locations to rejuvenate a traditional commercial settlement dating back to the mid-Qing dynasty. Guided by extensive research on local heritage and socioeconomic conditions, the participatory project led to beneficial impacts in improving the well-being of the residents in multiple dimensions of sustainability – economic, social and environmental. Restoring the river frontnand repurposing existing structures and public spaces to create new facilities in a low-cost, low-tech way have strengthened community interactions while respecting the ancient urban morphology. Along with the revival of local lifeways, the project demonstrates the role of urban innovation in sustaining historic urban landscapes in a holistic manner.
Located on Shajing Street in Baoan District, Shenzhen, Shajing Ancient Fair is the largest existing historical district in Shenzhen, about 260,000 square meters. It includes an ancient river - Longjin River, a thousand-year-old Southern Song architectural site - Longjin Stone Pagoda, as well as hundreds of old houses ancestral halls, ancient wells, and other historical sites., etc. At present, Shajing consists of urban villages, temporary buildings and informal immigrant communities.
In order to preserve the historical and cultural values of Shajing Fair, and to explore a model of urban renewal and urban value regeneration, ARCity Office was commissioned by Shajing Street Office and China Resources Land Limited to design a set of landscape/buildings/interior reconstruction projects. At the same time, ARCity Office curated "Time Drift -Shajing Relic Reborn urban site-specfic exhibition" and organized various public activities for villagers to help them discover the unique aesthetic value of historical remains. Through these creative designs and exhibitions, architects aim to create new cultural integration scenes, and activate local communities which are in a state of decay. The entire processes of planning, design, curation and exhibition began in early September 2019 and was fully completed by the end of December 2019. This project has received the Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts and Special Recognition for Sustainable Development in the 2021 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
Photos: <https://www.archdaily.com/951504/rejuvenation-of-shajing-ancient-fair-arcity-office>
Edited by Jia Mengyuan
Copyright @ 2014 Urban Planning Society of China
Registration Number:05073892-1
