Designing circularity : house of dreams Zhoushan, Henan, China

Abstract

Designing Circularity: House of Dreams builds on Hasdell’s research in sustainable development, established through prior studies (Miaoxia Community RAE2020). The interdisciplinary collaboration between Liang Jun, Zhoushan Community Group (client), Dr Ku from Applied Social Sciences at PolyU, and Insitu Project (Kuo Jze Yi and Peter Hasdell) involved research on rural revitalisation resulting in the House of Dreams (2017~2022). The project was supported by various foundation awards and aimed to: 1. Choreograph and design the physical infrastructure and social relationships to address community needs; 2. Utilise community-based circular material processes using zero-mile materials and placemaking principles for develop the House of Dreams; 3. Foster collaboration and sustainable development potential contributing to community resilience and capacity building. The research team developed and implemented bottom-up community design and construction capabilities, focusing on the use of recycled zero-mile materials sourced from construction waste to reconstruct an abandoned cave settlement and create a rural community training facility. The processes included asset mappings, local resource design frameworks, and devised training methods to develop new skills within the community and directly engaged over 150 individuals. The project reconstructed 22 caves, 4 new landscaped courtyards, and 4 new service buildings to create a rural training facility. 40% of the materials were sourced from construction waste representing a reduction of 68% material and 80% transport in carbon emissions compared to conventional methods. In 2022, the project was recognised with Human City Design Award / UNESCO, the UIA 2030 / UN Habitat Award, and an additional 7 awards.