Located in the centre of the Southern Chinese city of Fuzhou, this Christian Community Centre reflects the vision of a new generation of Christians in a changing China. Entrenched by a historic church and newly built malls and high-rises it adopts the role of urban mediator, harmonizing modern city and ancient architecture whilst complementing the old church’s skyline. More than an echo of ancient tradition, its pitched roofs serve as elevated amphitheatres for open-air services and as escapes from the bustle below.

More than ever an architect’s work is characterized by contradictions: To act regionally, we need to think globally. To keep tradition alive, we must embrace modernity. As a German working in China, I stand in awe before three decades of unprecedented growth transforming dilapidated towns into modern cities. But modernization came at a cost: In many cities the historical substance vanished. New districts often failed to make people connected to each other or to the place. Talking to people – clients, community members – I feel the frustration as they struggle to uphold a sense of identity and find themselves cast between a tradition lost and a future undiscovered. Facing issues which transcend the infrastructural, our work revolves around the impact urbanization has on residents. In it we hope that architecture can induce healing to traumatized environments: by reinforcing human contact, developing local heritage, facilitating spiritual experience - thus fulfilling essential human needs.

INUCE , headquartered in the heart of Europe, is an international design office that specializes in architectural and urban design. Led by an experienced and diversified team of designers and marketers, it is INUCE’s mission to exceed our customer expectations through state-of-the-art service. Our work encompasses design and consulting services throughout all stages of project design, with a focus on religious architecture and redevelopment planning of historical districts.