RIT（Ramed-Earth Institute of Technology): Revolution of Ideology & Techniques

Students：Hou Xinjue、Wang Qianni、Guo Zhuang、Sun Qiuying
Project ：RIT（Ramed-Earth Institute of Technology): Revolution of Ideology & Techniques
Tutors ：
School ：Tianjin University、Harvard Graduate School of Design、MIT

Almost all the university students are swarming into limited metropolitan cities in China, because they want to get rid of poverty. In this unprecendented transformation, our Chinese ideology has ‘ evolved’ into an distortion : Tradition means nothing except backwardness. A hint from Chinese traditional house situation strikes our team -- what could we do to revise this Deviant Ideology? Maybe a revolution of Building Techniques by combining tradition (rammed-earth) and contemporary (fabricated steel). We can build fluent and solid space with the earth in our hand (as a template of university named Rammed-earth Institute of Technology) and this could influence local residents to re-recognize the tradition and culture under the present modern age.

Turpan is one of the most characterized cities on the route of China’s innovative urbanization areas. It is well known since the origin of civilization when goods transport of Asian with Western countries was delivered through Silk Road passing by Turpan. With a natural drought climate condition, it has invented Karez system for irrigation which generated local agricultural goods. At the same time, the special climate condition allowed for the development of architecture made of rammed-earth. However, traditional construction was replaced rapidly by modern methods in these few decades of urbanization. Migrants from rural areas eagerly swarmed into large cities for better living standard. Turpan right now is facing with severe decline of educated people and cultural tradition. West provinces and coastline cities are highly polarized in this process. We hope to build this Rammed-earth Institute of Technology to trigger the urbanization of rural areas in the west China. This school system would provide a reservoir of educated people and a platform for intellects to assemble. It can also provide more job opportunities for local residents for economic development.