Progressive Practices
Spatial Database for the Reservation of Historical Villages in China View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Dan Hu
In recent years, sustainable development of historical villages has emerged as a crucial component of China's rural revitalization strategy. How to integrate digital technology with the design of historical villages is a challenging topic. Focusing on the renovation of historical villages in China, the research examines the history and regulations of historical site renovation, explores relevant theories, and references historical and contemporary cases. From the perspective of architectural design, it combines traditional renovation methods with digital models to explore techniques for extracting and visualizing information, as well as establishing a database. Regarding content, the database presents policies, renovation methods, and current status data of historical village renovations in a three-dimensional visual format. It includes professional two-dimensional images derived from three-dimensional models, as well as historical documents, photos, videos, and other related materials. The structure of the database comprises four levels: national, regional, village, settlement, and architectural levels, each containing corresponding professional content. The majority of the data is centered around point cloud models. Through research and comparison, the implementation of the historical village database utilizes the Cesiumlab and Mars3D tool, which integrates various sources of three-dimensional models and presents them in a straightforward web-based platform. Another aspect of the research involves the application of historical village databases, with Muka Village serving as an experimental case study. In establishing the Muka Architectural database, the methodology was put into practice, demonstrating its potential for use in other historical villages
Alpine Huts - Built Elements in the Landscape: Relationship between Architecture, Nature and Sustainability in a High-altitude Mountain View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Elisa Bernard
Alpine huts are territorial outposts built in remote high-altitude locations as a support to exploring and experiencing wild spaces. Due to the location in isolated and hardly accessible sites and the dialogue between built artifacts and fragile nature contexts, relevant design issues often emerge. As the value of the landscape and the importance of its perception are currently recognised on a European level, preserving mountain huts become relevant to support conservation, management and planning of the Alpine space. Therefore, retrofitting and adaptation of these outposts require not only structural reinforcement, spatial renovation and increasing energy efficiency but also dealing with the site environment and landscape. The aim of the contribution is to understand how the above aspects are currently being addressed jointly in the design approach, identifying how environmental sustainability is interpreted. Starting from the study of guidelines for alpine huts, the contribution examines its application to settlement, technological, constructive and resource management choices of some recently built high-altitude architectures. The investigation highlights recurring aspects and current trends in constructing human outposts in remote context identifying different strategies that can be adopted to deliver architectural projects that merge environmental sustainability with a landscape protection. Use of dry construction systems, new materials and resources self-sufficiency are some investigated issues also considering climate change consequences. Today huts are pioneers of technological improvement, where innovative solutions are experimented in complex context. Simultaneously, the research examines the contribution of these strategies in delivering balanced relationship between Man and landscape.
Designing for Re-existence: An Indigenist Design Methodology
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ishnie Dahanayake, Akari Nakai Kidd
Recent research highlights the limited integration between design of conservation reserves and human settlements. Positioned at the intersection of landscape architecture, Indigenous studies, and conservation, this paper addresses the challenge of designing regenerative systems for humans and nature (re-existence) by integrating Indigenous Knowledges into landscape design. It presents a new framework for participant-led design practices emphasizing meaningful engagement with Indigenous Knowledges, stakeholders and Country, in a culturally respectful and safe manner. Through yarning and walking on Country, an “Indigenist Design workshop methodology” was developed in collaboration with a tertiary academic institution’s (Deakin University) Indigenous Knowledge Systems lab. This novel approach integrates Indigenous yarning practices with co-design workshops, structured around three phases: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. It is guided by six yarning principles and seven protocols. The methodology was tested on a case study site through speculative design experiments. Key outcomes include the development of a design approach that privileges Indigenous perspectives while considering one’s own positionality. This approach fosters a reciprocal exchange of knowledge between researchers, participants, and Country as a sentient entity. While the workshops effectively established narratives of place that deepen relationships with Country, challenges emerged in navigating the complexities of relational ontologies within a colonial framework and ensuring the methodology’s replicability. In conclusion, incorporating Indigenous systems thinking into design fosters culturally inclusive, place-based environments. Further research is recommended to explore how this methodology can be applied in diverse contexts to create spaces for re-existence.
