This research was born from traveling throughout China as a Fulbright Professor, teaching, working, and observing villages and village life. Wapan masonry is a traditional masonry and tiling technique that has evolved into a hybrid construction process involving brick, stone, and ceramic roof tiles. This process is well known by Chinese masons and is becoming more common in the architectural discourse of China since traditional bricks are being banned due to environmental degradation concerns.
Wapan masonry was traditionally used in villages as a way to utilize materials that were readily available, such as leftover roofing tiles and broken bricks, but it is now becoming part of the new architectural language of China as a response to heritage masonry and sustainability. It is also connected to the construction of Chinese Ghost Cities. As villages get demolished, the resultant material becomes a source for new construction.
