Beijing Hutong House Renovation by ARCHSTUDIO

Architects: ARCHSTUDIO
Location: Beijing, China
Year: 2015
Area: 1,722 sqft / 160 sqm
Photo courtesy: Xia Zhi, Zhang Lin Han, Wang Ning
Description:

The dim block house in the Hutong of Dongcheng District, Beijing was redesigned into a habitation for a youthful couple. This block and concrete organized building, with two stories on the ground and one story under the ground, is left by the past proprietor. The house situates at the peripheral of a little Hutong, there are another 5 householders inside. Because of the confinement of the protection of the neighbors in the Hutong, the inside of the old house is shut and dim.

The originator’s motivation is to enhance the inside structure in light of the states of the old building, to reshape a brilliant, straightforward and clean environment for the inside space, and to shape an intriguing stand out from the outside appearance of the old piece. While confronting with the intricate and unimportant circumstance, the creator utilizes “white” as the central shading, and brings the space over into an immaculate and unique beginning state through obliterating and augmenting, and makes the sentiment a taking so as to stream space point of interest of the changing lights and open air sees.

Part of the floor chunks of the first building have been cut off, through which the stairs are transformed into a light shaft that gets past every inside floor. The changeful normal light which comes to direct to the storm cellar through the sky facing window breathes life into the encased inside space. The 2cm (0.78in) steel stair treads and 5cm (1.96in) punctured steel handrails make the stairs a smooth and straightforward props. While strolling on them, individuals might have a craving for strolling in the sky. The exposed block divider on the back side of the stairs is kept and showered with white paint to make smaller scale correlation of new and old.

The various inherent cabinets are to address the issues of the male host who loves to gather books. The wooden framework entryways of the bookshelves together with the roof shape a virtual body which implanted into the interior space. “Networks” are scattered over each inside floors, make different conduct spaces, for example, tea drinking, accommodation, perusing et cetera. The presentation of frameworks channels locate, lighting and sees, through which empower the inside to dispose of impedance and appreciate peace and serenity.