Historic Building Conservation, UK
- Mentor
- Leslie Zhang
- Student
- Zhou
- Tags
- Architecture
- UK
- Postgraduate
Project Statement
Project 1: The Growing Buddhist Temple
Project Description
The project is located in the hill country of south-east China, an area with a long history of human settlement dating back to the 8th century BC. Thanks to its relatively secluded geography, the area has preserved a diverse range of ancient Chinese architectural styles, and its building materials have evolved over time — from large timber structures in early periods to rammed earth and stone, and on to modern red brick and concrete.
At the heart of the project is an elevated Buddhist temple featuring a distinctive pagoda (stupa). First built in the 11th century as an eight-sided, nine-storey timber structure, the pagoda has been restored and reinforced with high-strength timber, increasing its capacity to bear both natural and human-induced loads while improving its durability and overall structural stability.
In addition, covered corridor bridges link the temple, the monks' quarters and other functional buildings, and a traditional woven timber arch bridge is incorporated, reflecting a fusion of traditional and modern architectural thinking. The project is not only a look back at the architectural evolution of the hill country but also an innovative exercise in contemporary architecture — one that respects historical tradition while looking ahead to the future.
Key Elements
- Location: Hill country of south-east China
- Dates: July–November 2023
- Signature structures: Timber pagoda, covered corridor bridges, woven timber arch bridge
- Design concept: A fusion of tradition and modernity; structural innovation alongside historical continuity
- Technical highlights: High-strength timber reinforcement and the dynamic integration of unconstrained support structures (apophyte molds) with the pagoda body, enhancing both the visual space and structural stability
Project 2: Shou'an Palace Historical Reproduction Project
Project Description
The Shou'an Palace revival project sets out to bring history back to life through innovative design, paying tribute to Shou'an Palace in the north-west corner of the Forbidden City. Over the centuries, the palace has played many roles, serving as residential quarters, a prison, a theatre and a school. Although it currently exists as a library closed to the public, our goal is to use spatial transformation and the re-creation of historical settings to give visitors an immersive journey through history and culture.
As part of the Forbidden City, Shou'an Palace carries a wealth of historical narratives and cultural significance. Through innovative design, we have rediscovered and showcased the palace's many historical functions. Once residential quarters, a prison, a theatre and a school, Shou'an Palace now opens to the public as a library, presenting a cultural sanctuary steeped in mystery.
Guided by the design concept of spatial transformation, we lead visitors deep into Shou'an Palace, using space ingeniously so that they can truly experience the mindsets and emotions of historical figures. This is more than a simple tour: it is an intimate encounter with history that carries visitors across time and space to feel the weight and richness of the palace's past first-hand.
Key Elements
- Location: The Palace Museum (Forbidden City), Beijing
- Dates: August 2022 – March 2023
- Historical background: First built in the Ming dynasty, Shou'an Palace has changed function many times and now houses the Palace Museum Library
- Design concept: Creating an immersive historical and cultural experience through spatial transformation and the re-creation of historical settings
- Core objective: To bring back the palace's many historical functions and reveal its cultural value and historical significance
August 2022 – March 2023: The "Rebirth" of Shou'an Palace in the Forbidden City
The first time I stepped into Shou'an Palace, it felt like a silent old man: walls of mottled, peeling paint and tightly shut doors and windows spoke of centuries of change. As project lead, my task was not only to restore a building but to bring its many historical identities "back to life". Leafing through historical records, I discovered that it had been an imperial residence, a prison for princes, a lively opera stage and even a modern-era school — each layer of history was like a fragment that we had to string together through design.
The biggest headache was the spatial transformation: we had to preserve the original fabric while letting visitors "sense" scenes from different eras through light, shadow and circulation. I remember the team adjusting the width of the corridors and the angle of the lighting again and again to recreate the oppressive feel of the prison, finally using narrow passageways and cool tones to convey the weight of history. When the library first opened and I saw visitors stop to gaze at the replica antique scrolls on the shelves, I realised that history really can be "touched".
July–November 2023: The Pagoda and Covered Bridge in the South-East Hills
When we moved on to the mountains of the south-east, we were greeted by hot, humid winds and hillsides covered in bamboo. The 11th-century pagoda was teetering in the wind and rain, its timber frame riddled with insect damage. The restoration team argued endlessly: reinforcing it with modern steel would destroy its rustic, time-worn character, while a purely timber structure would struggle to bear the load. In the end we found a middle ground — high-strength timber combined with traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery, which stabilised the structure while keeping the pagoda's eight-sided, nine-tiered flying eaves light and graceful.
Most unforgettable was designing the covered bridge, when an elderly local craftsman used rattan to demonstrate the "woven timber arch" technique. Strips of bamboo flew between his weathered fingers, as if time were flowing backwards. During construction a flash flood suddenly struck and nearly swept away the temporarily reinforced scaffolding; everyone worked through the night on repairs, covered in mud yet smiling at one another. When the project ended, standing on the newly built bridge and watching the pagoda reflected in the stream after the rain, I suddenly understood what "restoring the old as it was" really means — not copying the past, but letting tradition live and breathe in the present.
Takeaways: Growing in the Cracks Between Past and Present
Two utterly different times and places taught me that the essence of restoring historic architecture is "dialogue": dialogue with the emperors and prisoners of Shou'an Palace, with the morning bells and evening drums of the pagoda, and above all with the craftsmanship and devotion behind every brick and beam. I learned to tell stories through space and to write poetry with materials; I also tasted the anxiety of seeing drawings destroyed by a flash flood and the helplessness of trying to read faded characters in ancient texts. But most precious of all was touching the living warmth of history — not behind the glass of a museum case, but in the amazed eyes of visitors, in the calluses on an old craftsman's palms, and in every choice we made to keep the heartbeat of civilisation going.