World Landscape of The Year 2017 award went to Peasants and their Land: The Recovered Archaeological Landscape of Chengtoushan, Lixian County, China by Turenscape at the World Architecture Festival awards. Chengtoushan land become hidden in a remote and poor rural region for decades, the Chengtoushan Archaeological site was rediscovered through landscape design using performance and production based approaches to landscape. 

Turenscape's redevelopment of archaeological site not only protects the integrity and authenticity of the ancient heritage, but also sees to develop it as a valuable tourist attraction. It showcases how landscape architecture can transform an obscured archeological site into an educational, playful and productive asset which will greatly benefit the local community.

The archeological site was maintained with minimal changes, except for a route designed to enable visitors to interpret the environment. The circular city surrounded by a moat becomes an empty and silent theater which creates ample opportunities for visitors to imagine what life may had been like in the ancient city.

The studio created an ecological recovery through the use of diverse wetland plants and patches of trees was implemented for the land beyond the moat surrounding the circular urban core. The main part of the park outside of the protected core was reclaimed into agricultural fields, and turned into an outdoor museum of rice.

The judges felt that this project reflected a hopeful and creative mixture of archaeological history, rice production and tourism. The landscape project is based around a live 6,500 year-old archaeological site which has been protected by the local government of this rural province. The judges were impressed with the "productive engagement between visitors and farmers who are able to maintain their traditional livelihoods."

The project was selected by WAF's 2017 Super Jury chaired by James Timberlake of Kieran Timberlake. Other jury members included OMA partner Ellen van Loon, WOHA founder Mun Summ Wong, Ian Ritchie of Ian Ritchie Architects and Christoph Ingenhoven of Ingenhoven Architects.

World Architecture Community is media partner for this year's World Architecture Festival. The annual World Architecture Festival (WAF) took place this year between 15-17 November, which concluded yesterday at the Arena Berlin, in Germany. 

Watch World Architecture Community's two exclusive interviews - Sir Peter Cook and Will Alsop - here, other interviews will be online soon, and see some keynote presentations here. 

Last year, Kopupaka Reserve in Auckland, New Zealand designed by Isthmus was named World Landscape of the Year 2016. 

All images courtesy of WAF

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