随着近代黄河水运交通的没落，陕北沿黄崖壁间曾经辉煌的窑洞村落沦为偏远之境，凋敝落寞。而近年沿黄公路的建设为这些古老的村落迎来了新的契机，沿路“驿站”的设计不仅为道路交通提供便利，更将成为老村对外的“触角”以及城乡生活的“聚集地”。这种新建筑类型如何因借山林之势，满足与激活城乡多元功能，营造一方自然的当代聚落成为设计的目标。

With the decline of Yellow river transportation in modern times, the glorious cave dwelling village along the precipice in Northern Shaanxi has become a remote place, desolate and lonely. In recent years, the construction of the highway along the Yellow River has ushered in new opportunities for these ancient villages. The design of the “post station” along the road not only facilitates road traffic, but also becomes the “antenna” of the old villages and the “gathering place” of urban and rural life. How to satisfy and activate the multiple functions of urban and rural areas and create a natural contemporary settlement of one side by taking advantage of the situation of mountain forests has become the design goal of this new building type.

▼黄河驿站，the post station on the bank of Yellow River

从政府层面看，沿路“驿站”的建设初衷为沿黄公路村落的交通旅游服务配套，包含停车场、店铺、公共卫生间三种基本功能。而老村保护区内山地窑院用地紧张，泥河沟村民们则一直希望在这块村里为数不多的枣林开阔地建个大戏台广场以及容纳两百人的红白理事馆，不干扰村内的生活。

From the point of government, the construction of the “post station” along the road is intended to provide a complete set of traffic and tourism services for the villages along the Yellow Road, including three basic functions: parking, shop and public toilet. However, the old village reserve are short of land, The villagers of Nihegou have been hoping to build a grand stage square and a Wedding and Funeral Banquet Hall with 200 people in the jujube forests, so as not to interfere with the life of the village.

▼驿站示意图，diagram

面对城乡的差异需求，借助村口驿站建设的机遇，在老村外集中建设功能互补的城乡服务空间，将驿站的功能放大到餐饮、茶室、戏台广场、红白喜事甚至临时的红枣市集等，它成为偏远的泥河沟村对外的触角，同时也是乡村公共生活的集聚场所。而在泥河沟这处拥有全球重要农业文化遗产（GIAHS）：“佳县古枣园”的传统村落，众多功能集合的建筑空间，在村里无疑将成为一种新的公共建筑类型。这处“放大的驿站”如何轻微地置入村口参差的枣林间、自然建造，成为设计面临的首要问题。

In the face of the differences between urban and rural areas, with the opportunity of “post station” construction, the service spaces with complementary functions are concentrated outside the old villages. The functions are enlarged to restaurants, teahouses, stage squares, banquet hall, and even temporary jujube Market. It becomes the remote tentacles of the Nihegou village, and also a gathering place for rural public life. In Nihegou, a traditional village with the world’s important agricultural and cultural heritage (GIAHS): “Jiaxian ancient jujube garden”, many functional building spaces will undoubtedly become a new type of public buildings in the village. How to slightly place this “enlarged post station” among the jujube forests with different village entrances and build it naturally has become the primary problem faced by the design.

▼枣林驿站线稿，station outline

村口临近沿黄公路一侧唯有两山夹壁间一片枣林地，流经村内的车会河环绕汇入黄河。从公路到枣林河道边缘有近三米阶梯状落差，而枣林河道边新修的防洪堤又有四米高差，以防每年夏秋之际的山洪暴发。基地里成片参差不齐的枣树林，是村里的主要经济作物，每棵枣树都有自己的主人，土地的认定和赔偿也以枣树为准。而枣林边缘夹杂的榆树、杨树等乔木亦是村落生物多样性的重要保障。在此，因地制宜地利用地形高差与林木间距，将建筑空间打散在林中成为首选策略。

On the side of the road along the Yellow Road, there is only one jujube woodland near the new road. From the highway to the edge of River, there is a step-like drop of nearly three meters, while the newly built flood control dike along River has a height difference of four meters, in order to prevent the mountain flood outbreak in summer and autumn every year. The uneven jujube forest in the base is the main economic crop in the village. Every jujube tree has its own owner. The identification and compensation of the land are also based on jujube. Ulmus, poplar and other trees on the edge of jujube forest are also important guarantees of village biodiversity. In this regard, it is the preferred strategy to disperse the building space in the forest by taking advantage of the topographic elevation difference and the spacing between trees according to local conditions.

▼鸟瞰图，aerial view