XU TIANTIAN

Xu Tiantian, image courtesy DnA_Design and Architecture.

Xu Tiantian is the founding principal of DnA _Design and Architecture and Professor in Practice at Tsinghua University School of Architecture. She received her Baccalaureate in Architecture from Tsinghua University in China, and her Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD) from Harvard Graduate School of Design. She was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2020 and became a member of Akademie der Künste in 2024. Xu Tiantian has engaged extensively in the rural revitalization process in rural China. Her groundbreaking “Architectural Acupuncture” is a holistic approach to the social and economic revitalization of rural China and has been selected by UN-Habitat as the case study of Inspiring Practice on Urban-Rural Linkages. She has received numerous awards including the 2022 Swiss Architectural Award, the 2023 Berlin Art Prize / Kunstpreis Berlin (Architecture category), the Marcus Prize, and the 2023 UNESCO Global Award for Sustainable Architecture.

SKYLAR YU: Your work exemplifies how architecture can serve as a transformative force for social and ecological harmony. Why did you start paying attention to rural construction in China? 

XU TIANTIAN: In the beginning it was only out of curiosity. I had never been to a mountain village before Songyang. The collaboration with Songyang County did not start with any planning. We visited the villages in the mountains and were asked for advice on their projects, such as whether to demolish certain  abandoned houses and build new structures or to advise on the future development in general, such as homestay businesses or any new programme that could potentially spark economic renewal…Later on, we took on over a dozen pro-bono projects in different villages, such as the Pingtian Village Center which started as a proposal to local administrations to renovate abandoned houses into communal space instead of demolition. 

It started as a learning process and collective collaboration with many different sectors, especially with the local villager community who were also the construction workers on local traditional building techniques.

Pingtian Village Center, photos by Wang Ziling.

Pingtian Village Center, photo by Han Dan.

SY: What has been the driving force behind your deep involvement in rural construction in Songyang County, Zhejiang for many years?

XT: The main driving force is that we realized design and architecture can become effective social means to revive forgotten regions like rural villages. 

For example, the adaptive reuse of abandoned houses in Pingtian Village transformed them into a communal space, reshaping the understanding of the village's value. Neighboring villages visited Pingtian to see how traditional buildings could be revitalized into vibrant community spaces through thoughtful design.

Soon after its completion, the Pingtian Village Center became a hub for public activities. Two young men returning from Hangzhou repurposed the handicraft workshop into a dyeing studio, which quickly achieved popularity, especially among children. Their success with e-commerce not only established a thriving start-up but also unveiled new opportunities for the village.

In Cai Zhai, famous for its tofu production, traditional family workshops faced challenges in meeting modern food certification standards, preventing their products from reaching the market. By redesigning and upgrading their production spaces, and in this way, the tofu products can be sold in urban supermarkets and increase the economic income of the village.

Tofu Factory, photos by Wang Ziling.

Brown Sugar Factory, photos by Wang Ziling.

SY: Also what did you learn of the province through your field work? 

XT: A lot! But first of all, always look for local symptoms and take local resources as the remedy.

SY: Having established the platform Field Work Station in Songyang, for artists and designers to exchange with rural culture - it would be great to hear the story of the community. 

XT: We always talk about the concept of community, but actually, each community is different. The very first generation of village ancestors settled in one place and eventually built up their own heritage and culture over generations. To engage the community in the design process, for example, from identifying their heritage and needs to defining the design and construction material, they can always make a great contribution. 

With the team, we discussed with villagers from Xing the layout of the production space. The site of the Tofu Factory at Caizhai was identified by the community —to have the factory as the first building at the entrance of the village. While the Shantou village even brought out a program of a new rice wine factor.

Rice Wine Factory, photos by Wang Ziling.

SY: You grew up in Fujian, a city where traditional southern cultural practices coexist with modern development—how is your work influenced by the personality of the town you grew up in?

XT: One thing I found is how I understand space—indoor and outdoor, and space in between; like my own family house, with sequences of courtyards adapting to the sub-tropical weather, in constant dialogue with nature. The building is never isolated but always a fabric within nature.

SY: Regarding renovating old cultural environments, how do you see the future of historical preservations? How do you balance the preservation of historical marks and the contradiction between reconstruction?

XT: Collective memory is always undervalued, which should be the key purpose in the urban regeneration process. Both tangible and intangible. Adaptive reuse might be the best way for preservation.

Instead of demolishing and building new, we can work on the existing buildings or structures with adaptive reuse, not only for economic or ecological reasons but also to preserve the collective memories.

SY: Could we also stop at your work on the Jinyun Quarries. It would be great to hear how the project developed over time. Which technologies did you use on the project? 

XT: For a project that had no precedents before, the challenge started from the very beginning, and most of the local people and even the client didn’t believe in the potential. We initiated our design proposal, based on extensive discussions with the client, community, former quarry workers, and geotechnical engineers. Once the design was approved and started construction, we were able to have the contract. The construction is rather by excavation, with both modern machinery and traditional manual quarrying techniques.

Jinyun Quarries-Quarry # 8, photos by Wang Ziling.

SY: You have participated in many art projects. What do you think is the boundary between architectural design and artistic creation? 

XT: I am not sure if it needs a boundary. I am more interested in creative thinking that reveals the issues and provides solutions, in an intellectual way but also a holistic approach. 

SY: You studied architecture at Tsinghua University in Beijing followed by a master’s degree in urban design at Harvard GSD.  What lessons stayed with you from both?

XT: Both are great schools. But. I think the education on architecture doesn’t stop after school. On the contrary, you might end up learning more out of school.

SY: How do you understand architecture? What makes a successful architectural design work?

XT: The social impact of architecture. It should be integrated into the design process and also evaluated after the completion.

SY: Are there any projects you are currently working on? What are your plans for the future?

XT: We are currently engaged in a series of projects focused on water infrastructure, integrating the local context as both a cultural and agricultural asset while repurposing it as an educational resource.

One such project is the Mulan River, the mother river of Putian City on the southeast coast of China. The river runs from mountain to ocean, with several water gates at critical locations that manage water in both city and rural villages for local agriculture and prevent the erosion of saline ocean water. This infrastructure represents a fascinating blend of ancient and modern engineering—demonstrating intelligent ways of coexisting with nature. However, its potential as a public space and social educational resource has largely been overlooked.

We are taking four watergate infrastructure facilities and working with new additions to transform these infrastructures into social education platforms when integrating with local heritage, agriculture or aquaculture production, and vernacular building typology.

Mulan River water dams conversion, photos by proj.

SY: Besides work, what do you usually do?

XT: Exploring culture, and life.