4 thoughts on “A+ Lectures 2025|10 Sustainable Construction as Process: Technology, Materials, and Community in Rural China|Yehao Song”

1. Chaitali Kalokhe May 21, 2025 at 22:35

   Yehao Song’s lecture- sustainable construction as process presents architecture deeply rooted in local material palette, craft, techniques and cultural memory. In his projects like the Yunzhai Village Community center, traditional brickwork, perforated walls and open courtyards to create inclusive, climatically responsive spaces are observed. The absence of rigid continuous boundaries reflect his belief in architecture as a continuity with nature and open to all. The Tea Leaf market project with the impressive 18m long bamboo structure in a way revives the Song Dynasty’s construction principles using local materials like bamboo. rammed earth and stone. Song critiques modern digital tools for failing to account for the variability of natural materials and emphasized the need for error tolerance in design with sustainable materials. Another striking project is the Taoli Zhaoshan Village Center that transforms an abandoned factory building into a vibrant public space using reclaimed stone and diffused daylight through stepped roof form that merges adaptive reuse with community-building. Song’s work is a reminder that sustainability lies not just in technology, but also in honoring the ecological, social and material intelligence embedded in our rural traditions.

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2. Alessia Li Causi May 22, 2025 at 11:23

   Yehao Song’s lecture shared four of his recent projects, all focused on technological innovation in rural China – He made it clear that “rural” isn’t one fixed idea, every region has its own context and needs. What really stood out was how much he draws from traditional local techniques – like using bamboo and timber for structures, and how nothing used to go to waste, the materials were reused over and over, for example, stones often ended up as pavements or furniture – and how he designs there public spaces – unlike open plazas, his public spaces feel more intimate, they’re open, but still have a strong indoor-outdoor connection, making people feel welcome and part of something.
   Song also highlighted how important it is to talk with local communities, since many of these projects are public and build by local workers. This made me reflect on the challenges of building in this way. The relationship with institutions is fundamental, it would be difficult to imagine such interventions within the stricter regulatory framework of countries like Italy.


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3. Philip Iroagbalachi May 26, 2025 at 22:49

   “Sustainable Construction as Process,” by Yehao Song showed how meaningful sustainability grows from regional craft, local materials, and cultural memory rather than hi-tech add-ons. His projects on retrofitting in rural areas in China (Qifeng village) has shown more practical illustration of sustainable practices in architecture. The Yunzhai Village Community Center, for example, pairs hand-laid brick screens and open courtyards to create airy, climate-wise gathering rooms with no hard boundary between building and landscape. At the Tea-Leaf Market, an 18-metre bamboo vault, echoing carpentry skills demonstrates how bamboo, rammed earth, and fieldstone can meet contemporary spans while supporting local economies.
   Song argued that most digital design platforms ignore the irregularities of such natural materials and architects must build error tolerance into both drawing and detailing. His work insists that true sustainability lies in reviving the ecological know-how and social intelligence embedded in rural building traditions.

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4. Luana Oliveira Carrazza May 28, 2025 at 10:37

   The lecture by Song Yehao was a masterclass on how to design sustainable buildings that preserve the contexts while activating new functions. The use of local materials and construction workers from the communities reminded me of Andre Jaque’s lecture, thinking about the construction as a process that involves a lot of factors, like for example, the route the materials take to arrive at the site. With these materials being nearby it allows for a more sustainable development while supporting the local economy. I loved to hear about the interaction with the local craftsmen and their expertise. When a community is involved in the process it increases the sense of belonging and it was interesting to see how they appropriated the spaces and gave them multiple uses. Overall it was very inspiring and I hope to incorporate some of these thoughts into my approach as an architect.

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