INNOVATIONS
One University One Village: Rural Sustainable Development Assistance Programme
Innovations & Impacts
In mainland China, 40% of the population lives in rural areas. However, the construction and development of these communities are often slow and unsustainable. Many villages also suffered from severe earthquakes, adding to rising costs, debt and logistics challenges to restore their communities. Consequently, many rural residents moved to urban locations for better job prospects to fund the reconstruction and leave their children and elderly residents behind.
Led by Professor Edward NG of the School of Architecture, the “One University One Village” – Rural Sustainable Development Assistance Programme (1U1V) is an award-winning initiative that improves the environmental, economic and social sustainable development of poor rural areas. The programme combines academic expertise, resources and experiences from a team of passionate university professors to help improve rural residents’ livelihood in a sustainable way. The team innovated the “local labour, local materials, and local technology” (3L) principle as a new sustainable construction solution. Through rigorous research and development, this principle has demonstrated the success of “high-science, low-technology” strategies in rural construction and encourages endogenous development in rural communities. Research and projects include village improvement work, bridge construction and enhancing traditional rammed earth buildings for better design, comfort, safety and seismic performance. The prototype house, constructed for an aged couple to demonstrates how bio-climatic design, cost-effectiveness, aesthetics and residential needs can be taken into consideration and implemented simultaneously.
The project has developed a new rural development paradigm, that is, an interdisciplinary, innovative and sustainable solution for poor rural areas in China. This solution has been generated by multidisciplinary partnerships and networking platforms between different universities worldwide, including the University of Cambridge, the University of Huddersfield, Tsinghua University, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Chonqging Jiaoting University, Tongji University, and various government agencies, collaboratively contributing to an innovative and sustainable for rural development.
From Research to Market
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RESEARCH
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SOCIAL IMPACT & PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
An architect and environmental consultant, Professor NG specializes in Green Building, Environmental and Sustainable Design, and Urban Climatology for City Planning. In early 2014, noting the cultural and socio-economical needs of remote villagers in South West China, Professor NG established the “One University One Village Project Initiative” to continue his humanitarian work with his students. He believes that knowledge creates the future, and it is the responsibility of academia to chart this future.
More than just an architecture project, 1U1V is a human-centred initiative that supports rural residents, women, left-behind children and elderly residents through collaboration, training and education. In July 2021, 1U1V was awarded the International Green Gown Awards 2021 – Benefitting Society organized by the United Nations for its invaluable efforts in providing sustainable rural reconstruction and empowering local residents. The programme’s integrated solutions also echo the social responsibility and sustainable development objectives at CUHK. Additionally, 1U1V conducts projects in over 20 countries and areas in Asia Pacific, Africa and North and South America.
