Guchengping Village

The renewal of this ancient village is based on the following three foundations:

• Historical Origin: Lushan County, where Guchengping Village is located, is one of the most famous culturally historic counties in China. Lushan contains much cultural heritage from the Han and Yuan Dynasties.
• Cultural Background: The village has several military relics left by the Chinese Red Army, such as an army plaza, a control center, a headquarters, all of which have became local tourist icons. Hence, the potential urban renovation projects should keep in mind while renovating the style of the local residential buildings to keep the stylistic connections with the existing military relics.
• Development Strategy: The village was partially destroyed by the Lushan earthquake (April, 2013). This renewal project aimed to improve the local economic development and advance the local inhabitants’ living conditions by renovating local buildings.

Master Plan

Analysis of the quality of existing buildings

• Over 80% of the existing buildings were damaged or partially destroyed (red and yellow parts) by the earthquake. Less than 20% of the existing buildings needed to be rebuilt. This project focused on the renewal of the slightly damaged or partially destroyed buildings.

Analysis of the existing buildings’ structural types

• There were 56 buildings in the planning area. The dominant structural type was brick-wood (73%). Other structural types included brick-concrete (23%), wood (9%) and steel (5%).

Problems found with the existing buildings

• The buildings were cluttered
• The architectural details did not always represent local cultural characteristics
• No theme color existed among the existing buildings
• The architectural and landscape architectural environment needed improvement