Reconstructing memory: material authenticity in the Architecture of Wang Shu and Liu Jiakun

In the context of China’s rapid urban transformation, extensive redevelopment and natural disasters have led to a profound loss of historical spatial textures and the generation of massive construction waste. In response to this cultural erasure, this study investigates how Chinese architects Wang Shu and Liu Jiakun utilize recycled materials to reconstruct urban memory and redefine architectural authenticity. By conducting a comparative analysis structured around four key tectonic and conceptual dimensions, including material sourcing, construction techniques, structural integration, and narrative intent, this study evaluates two distinct approaches to material reuse. Wang integrates salvaged components into “debris walls,” whose layered compositions articulate temporal depth and cultural continuity. In contrast, Liu’s “rebirth bricks,” developed from post-earthquake rubble combined with cement, foreground functional reuse and social relevance. Both architects emphasize local sourcing and material reuse, treating reclaimed materials as narrative tools to counteract the erasure of historical contexts. Despite their differences, their practices exemplify what this study terms Memory-Driven Authenticity: a form of material authenticity rooted in memory and site, through which design agency and craft-based recomposition of displaced fragments sustain cultural continuity in new construction.