Community

Xu Tiantian

Location

Beijing, China

DnA_Design and Architecture is a Beijing-based studio founded in 2004 by Xu Tiantian, who holds a BArch from Tsinghua University and an MA in Urban Design from Harvard GSD. The studio specializes in “architectural acupuncture”—small-scale, context-specific interventions that catalyze rural revitalization through social, economic, and ecological reinvigoration. Its pioneering approach carefully supports local economies, preserves cultural identity, and reconnects villages with broader urban-rural systems. DnA’s work has attracted global recognition, with its methodology selected by UN Habitat as an exemplar of inspiring practice in urban-rural linkages. Through minimal yet strategic architecture, DnA leverages local materials, traditional crafts, and community engagement to enact long-term, systemic change.


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