The Home in the Badain Jaran Desert / SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING, NANJING UNIVERSITY

The Dilemma of 'Home' - Many traditional herding families, mainly Mongolian, live on ranches around the inter-dune lakes. In July 2024, the 'Towers of Sand and Lakes' landscape of the Badain Jaran Desert was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. With the ensuing ecological preservation and construction restrictions, how to build homes that meet contemporary needs has become a pressing issue for the local herders. Delved into the vernacular, the designers intend to retain the indigenous building techniques, providing an intriguing possibility for future sustainable inhabitation in such a World Heritage site.