Wencuncun Village – Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu
Designed by Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu of Amateur Architecture Studio, Wencun Village challenges conventional models of rural regeneration in China. Instead of large-scale demolition and replacement, the architects advocate continuity, craft, and adaptation. The project combines new housing, public infrastructure, and the restoration of existing buildings, all rooted in local vernacular traditions. Using regional materials and construction techniques such as wood, brick, basalt stone, pitched roofs, and courtyards, the design reinterprets rural architecture through a stripped, contemporary language. Wencun stands as a critical statement against gentrification, proposing a slower, community-centered model for rural renewal that respects memory, place, and everyday life.
