The project is a pioneering model of adaptive reuse, breathing new life into traditional earthen structures in rural China while strengthening local identity, resilience, and sustainability. Construction has been successfully completed on two of the seven tulous, marking an exciting milestone for the project! Work on the remaining five is progressing steadily, with each site bringing us closer to the full realisation of this inspiring transformation.

Advancing Construction with Community at the Centre

Tulous are traditional earthen structures indigenous to Fujian, originally built as fortified communal housing. Their architectural resilience and cultural significance form the foundation for this project's adaptive reuse strategy. Since receiving the Holcim Foundation Awards prize, construction has progressed across all seven selected tulous. Two—Cuimei and Jinshi—have already been completed, with five others (Shengping, Binyang, Qifeng, Zhaihe, and Huoshao) advancing steadily, many with structural works nearing completion.

The construction plan was socially responsive, enabling residents to remain in the buildings during construction. This ensured that daily life, celebrations, and cultural gatherings continued uninterrupted—a powerful testament to the project’s minimal intervention strategy. This approach highlights the essence of the tulou typology: its resilience, flexibility, and enduring role as a communal hub. Celebrations like Chinese New Year have brought villagers together in both finished and in-progress tulous, maintaining a vibrant continuity of use throughout the transformation process.

Evolving Programs: Tulou as Cultural Platform

The tulous are not simply being restored—they are being reimagined. In 2024, discussions began to transform Qifeng Tulou into a bookhouse featuring a community library, reading spaces, and a bookstore. This shift exemplifies the project's philosophy of allowing programs to evolve organically in response to community needs.

Each tulou project is conceived as a resilient, adaptive system. Their traditional circular timber structures and communal layouts naturally support a range of contemporary uses. In Cuimei and Jinshi tulous, for instance, former family kitchens on the ground floor have been converted into food kiosks—a change inspired by local feedback and designed to encourage entrepreneurship.

Negotiating Heritage and Regulation

Balancing heritage preservation with modern regulatory compliance has been a complex undertaking. These tulous, as collective housing typologies, must now also adhere to the standards required of public buildings. The solution lay in collaborative craftsmanship—drawing on the expertise of local artisans skilled in traditional techniques—and continuous dialogue with residents to ensure sensitive and sustainable adaptation.

While these constraints led to some delays, they also deepened the authenticity and resilience of the project. As a result, the tulous not only stand revitalised but serve as prototypes for policy and practice in heritage-based adaptive reuse throughout the region.

Environmental, Social and Economic Impact

At its core, the project demonstrates the ecological benefits of adaptive reuse. Rather than build new infrastructure, the team preserved and reactivated existing vernacular structures built with rammed earth and timber. These buildings now maintain comfortable indoor climates with minimal mechanical intervention, and the process revives traditional construction knowledge and opens up a new discourse on the use of traditional bio-based materials in contemporary architecture.

Socially, the impact has been profound. Each tulou has become a site of community revival, fostering a renewed sense of identity and shared ownership. From cultural events and performances to educational workshops, the spaces are supporting vibrant public life. Economically, adaptive reuse has created avenues for local employment and tourism development: food kiosks and cultural workshops offer new livelihoods, and the revitalised tulous are attracting increasing numbers of visitors—offering a sustainable alternative to the 46 UNESCO-listed tulous nearby. The Qifeng Bookhouse, a collaborative initiative with private partners, illustrates how cultural programmes can be woven into viable business models, benefiting the broader village economy.

A Scalable Model for Sustainable Rural Futures

The Fujian Tulou project is more than a series of construction sites—it is a systematic strategy for rural revitalisation. By blending minimal architectural intervention with deep community engagement, the project redefines how vernacular heritage can meet contemporary social, economic, and environmental needs.

It has also become a case study in architectural education, inspiring design studios at the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio, Switzerland and the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, China. These courses reflect growing academic interest in how the adaptive reuse of vernacular buildings—especially in a rural context—can shape a more sustainable and inclusive architectural future.

Global Recognition and Continued Inspiration

The project has garnered international attention through publications in a+u, THE PLAN, Domus, and e-flux, and was exhibited at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris as part of UNESCO’s Global Award for Sustainable Architecture.

As Xu Tiantian and her team continue to steward the project forward, the Fujian tulous stand as living examples of how traditional buildings, when treated with care and imagination, can offer pathways to a resilient, low-carbon, and culturally rich future—not just for their immediate communities, but as a beacon for sustainable architecture worldwide.

Project Status (March 2025): Under Construction - 2 tulous completed, 5 in progress.