THE ENDLESS KAREZ

Karez is one of the three major projects in ancient China and the crystallization of the wisdom of the working people in ancient China. However, due to the changes of the times and the limitation of resources, some Karez have been gradually abandoned or even died out. The theme of this design is “endless narrative Karez”. By transforming the spatial form of the abandoned Karez, introducing the ground natural light source, and simulating the trickle in the old well with light intention, this design can stimulate the development potential of Karez and drive more people to understand and protect the masterpiece of this era.

The overall space is divided into three parts: living by the water, when the water comes, and thinking of the source. Taking the curved river as the design origin, extract its curve shape, and link the three key areas. In the streamline and structure of underground space, we retain the original vertical wellhead, and take the underground channel of Karez as the channel direction, so as to carry out better transformation on the basis of protecting its original structure.

We use different forms of light sources in each space. In the first space “living by water”, we add a device with a small hole under the shaft mouth to make the central corridor of the space have a scene of stars lighting, which also symbolizes the trickle of Karez in the past; In the second space, “water comes naturally”, we build a light Lake in the center of the site by increasing an original vertical wellhead and giving annular water ripple texture around the space; In the last space “thinking of the source after drinking water”, through the design of stairs, we make the only light source shine into the space from the top. People walk up to the ground in the direction of light, creating a sacred and secret environment atmosphere.