Peng Tang

Abstract

Gu’nanjie Historic Block, located in Dingshu Town, Yixing City, is the birthplace and heritage site of Zisha culture since the Ming and Qing dynasties. The renewal of the Gu’nanjie Historic Block has significantly impacted the urban environment of Yixing City. The project culminates two decades of dedicated, continuous efforts by local stakeholders in collaboration with experts and traditional craftsmen. Notably, digital technology was employed to intelligently repair damaged building facades and address the absence of building groups. This block has been revitalized without museumification, sustaining the community’s living heritage. It received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Conservation Award in 2024. The lecture will also introduce some relevant Chinese experiences.

Image courtesy of Peng TANG

Image courtesy of Peng TANG

Image courtesy of Peng TANG

Biography

Tang Peng received a doctoral degree from Kyoto University, Japan. She is mainly engaged in architectural design related to the renewal and conservation of historical areas, as well as theoretical research and teaching of the application of digital technologies in related fields. She has led and been involved in the designs of more than 20 engineering projects. The design works, which integrate theoretical research and teaching practice, have been presented in many international high-level architectural design exhibitions, including the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale and 2017 Seoul World Architects Congress of International Union of Architects. Her research focuses on the conservation methods for historical areas based on digital technologies, and her achievements were awarded the 1st prize of the 2017 Huaxia Construction Science and Technology Award, UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2024, etc. In recent years, she undertook several scientific research tasks funded by NSFC and MOST and published more than 40 papers in core journals.

Prof Peng TANG is Professor and Director of Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, Southeast University, China; Executive Chief Editor of Frontiers of Architectural Research; Executive Director of Computational Design Committee of the Architectural Society of China; Deputy Director of National Key Laboratory of Urban and Architectural Heritage Conservation of Ministry of Education, China.