A SONG OF ‘ICE’&’FIRE’

The project is located in arid and semi-arid regions of Shanxi, China. People are mainly concerned with the local drought and water shortages while ignoring the risk of flooding. Therefore, when arid soils encounter concentrated rainfall, farmlands and villages, including the remains of the ancient Great Wall, will be severely eroded. The arid climate, concentrated rainfall and severe soil erosion have caused a vicious circle of local ecological environment.

In the context of the extreme climate with drought and flood, in order to solve the concentrated rainfall that has a great impact on the local ecology and life, we propose 3 strategies: grooming, savings, and utilization of rainfall. The innovation lies in: (1) During rainfall, runoff points to the design path. Along the runoff path, ecological catchment landforms are set to reduce soil erosion，and keep water and soil intact. In addition, we use self-healing concrete to heal cracks and prevent further destruction of the Great Wall. (2) In the low-lying areas, reservoirs were set up, and the rainfall was introduced into them according to the designed route. In order to slow down the evaporation of rainwater, plants are planted around the pool. (3) During the dry period, the collected rainwater is used for agricultural irrigation and domestic water, and rainwater is used effectively.

Ultimately, these strategies will bring positive benefits to the local ecology, production and life, to realize a virtuous circle of ecology.