Chaos / Order

The Wenxi Fire, also know as the Changsha Fire, was the largest man-made fire in the history of China that had destoried eighty percent of the city. It also made Changsha be nominated as one of the worst-devastated cities of World War II with Warsaw, Stalingrad, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After the disaster, Chaozhou Block is one of the rarely remaining historical blocks. However, it is now confronting the contraditiction between perserving the historical momery and the process of urban innovation.

Contradition also exist in other aspects. For instance, the site is now just on eblock from the most properous commercial complex building in Changsha but appears to be chaos, dilapidated and gloomy. Meanwhile, it is unignorable that the vitality out of the chaos is totally different from the lethargic commercial high-rise building in the other side. Such weird contrasts can normally be seen in every corner of the city. What could architects do in front of such contraditions?In this project, a frame system is inserted to connect the past with present, as well as connecting the chaos with the order and the exuberance with the lethargy.

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