Location: Gansu Province, China.

Architect: Onearth.

Rammed-earth construction is one of the oldest traditional technologies in China, but it has been abandoned in recent years due to its association with poverty. However, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China authorized a long-term demonstrative research project in 2011 to revive the technology. The project was launched in Macha village, which is representative of poor villages in the core region of Loess Plateau. The project involved a set of rammed-earth-based building systems that were suitable for rural conditions and traditional building habits. The research outputs have been successfully extended to 11 regions of rural China with over 190 dwellings newly built. In late 2013, a sub-project of a village community centre was launched in Macha to provide functions such as a Chinese medicine clinic, nursery, library, stage, shop, and a multi-functional hall. The centre was constructed using on-site resources and is now standing peacefully there, like growing out of the ground. It is working as a community centre as well as a demonstration and training base of MOHURD in upgraded rammed-earth technology. The centre has also become a training and education process for both the villagers and the involved university students from the Mainland China, Hong Kong, and overseas. The village centre is now a demonstration and training base for upgraded rammed-earth technology, and over 300 craftsmen from the region have been trained by the team and those well-trained Macha villagers. The team has launched a programme to bridge more resources and trainings in agriculture, handicraft, education, etc. to Macha in the various forms of activities so as to reach a sustainable self-promotion and development. The original soul of Macha seems to be coming back, as the centre has become a hub for various activities such as dancing, embroidery games, and movie playing.