The Waystation
Response to Gentrification in Indigenous Land
May 2024 to September 2024
Site: Tagong Pasture, Suchuan
Individual Research & Design
to My Beloved Tagong Grassland
This project aims to response to the impact of rapid gentrification in the Tagong region of Western Sichuan, where traditional nomadic lifestyles and community spaces are increasingly at risk.
By proposing a Waystation along pastoral migration routes, the design incorporates both modern conveniences and nomadic cultural preservation. The Waystation includes lodging, livestock areas, communal dining, a library, and public baths. It seeks to reflect the symbolic essence of the black yak-wool tents while providing essential amenities,community space for nomads on the move.
The architectural approach emphasizes the preservation of indigenous spatial traditions and lifestyles. Flexible living spaces seamlessly integrate interior and semi-exterior zones, allowing for natural transitions and accommodating daily activities like milking and feeding the yak. The integration of a library and public bath ensures that community life and education can continue, supporting both social interaction and the continuation of cultural practices.
Additionally, the library serve as venues for cultural preservation and documentation, providing a platform to record and sustain the traditions of the nomadic way of life.
Indigenous Land
Historically, the Kham Region of Sichuan, home to nomad Tibetan, Han and other ethnic minority groups, has been shaped by a nomadic lifestyle centered around the water and grazing land.
Tents made from black yak wool are essential shelters in their nomadic life and serve as a symbol of their cultural heritage and traditions.
In the Kham region of Sichuan, traditional homes are typically divided into three levels: the lower level for livestock and fuel storage, the middle level for living spaces, storage, and a common area, and the upper level, which features a free-plan layout with sleeping areas and a sacred space for worship.
Issue
Gentrification & Tourism
The black tents, once central to gatherings, markets, and feasts, have become increasingly rare, leading to a loss of indigenous public spaces.
Tent as Community Spaces
During weddings, festivals, and religious holidays, people gather inside tents for communal dining and celebrations. These gatherings are a vital part of their social life, reinforcing cultural bonds and traditions.
Seasonal temporary markets also unfold under the tents, where locals trade items such as valuable medicinal herbs freshly harvested from the thawing spring, handmade crafts, Thangka paintings, and various other goods.
འབབ་ཚུགས 驿站
My proposal introduces a aystation along the pastoral migration routes to respond to the disruptions caused by gentrification.
The station combines lodging with spaces for resting, livestock, communal dining, a library, public baths, and other essential facilities. It aims to preserve the cultural significance of the traditional black yak-wool tents while offering practical support for nomads on the move, providing them with conveniences and cultural resources.
Design
The floor plan of The Waystation is designed to support the nomadic lifestyle while addressing contemporary needs. The flexibility of the black tent, which opens and closes as needed, creates a fluid transition from the relatively private indoor spaces to the semi-enclosed tented areas and the open outdoors. This design provides an adaptable setting for community gatherings and interactions.
The tent structure, attached to the second level and integrated into the landscape with supporting wood poles and stakes, can be expanded to create sheltered spaces or rolled up for storage when needed, such as during the snowy season.
To preserve this traditional indigenous living pattern, I retain the multifunctional essence of the original homes, maintaining their connection to the nomadic way of life. This approach responds to the impacts of gentrification, which have altered these spaces into single-story concrete houses that lack the adaptability and living functions integral to the nomadic lifestyle.
Community Library
Children from the grasslands typically attend boarding schools away from home, leaving a gap in educational resources during their winter and summer breaks. Tagong town, in particular, lacks sufficient libraries and quiet study spaces, leaving children with few places to engage in learning outside the school year. To address this, my proposal introduces a library designed not only as a place for study but also as a cultural hub that ties into the nomadic traditions of education. This facility offers a dedicated space for children to read, learn, and explore, ensuring that their educational development continues even during school holidays. The library also serves as a bridge between modern education and the rich heritage of the region, promoting learning within a space that respects the special cultural context of their nomadic identity and lifestyle.
Renders
The tent space connected to the ground floor blurs the line between interior and semi-exterior areas, providing a flexible space where daily activities like milking can take place.
The wooden poles and tents anchor Tagong’s cultural symbols and indigenous way of life, preserving these spatial traditions even amid gentrification.