Revitalization of Jingde Shuijie Street / RAW architecture studio

Jingde County is situated in Xuancheng City, Anhui Province. It occupies a central position in southern Anhui. Renowned for its pristine natural surroundings, Jingde County is recognized as a "National Ecological County." Notably, in 2016, it became the inaugural "International Cittaslow City" in Anhui Province. The project site is located in the central area of the county town, at the entrance of the commercial pedestrian street. The site is adjacent to the Huishui River. It is also the last remaining small historic neighborhood in the central area of the county town. Currently, the structures within the site primarily comprise timber constructions dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, accompanied by a few masonry structures that were erected after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. They are generally ordinary residential houses from historical periods and do not have any preserved cultural heritage status. The current state of the buildings is dilapidated, however. The primary goal and prerequisite of the planning and design are to evaluate the current physical form and preserve and restore the spatial layout of the historic neighborhood. At the same time, it is crucial to explore ways to introduce new commercial and leisure functions, allowing the neighborhood to once again fulfill the public life needs of the people of Jingde and sustainably revitalize with new vitality. This becomes a significant proposition in the planning and design process.