he wei’s ding hui yuan zen & tea chamber in beijing follows the structure of a chinese garden
image © zou bin 

 

 

 

architect he wei was invited to reconstruct a disused factory in beijing, china into the ‘ding hui yuan zen & tea chamber’ house – an open plan space including a meditation area, serving room and courtyard. unlike many warehouses, the building is small in size, which meant it would serve well as a ‘zen setting.’ the aim of the architectural design was to restructure the space, in order to allow for circulation to weave throughout the interior in a harmonious pattern. 

he wei ding hui yuan zen tea chamber beijing china designboom
the aim of the design was to restructure the interior
image © zou bin 

 

 

 

the layout draws upon eastern and ancient principles by using the structure of a chinese private garden, which characteristically follow a zig-zag pattern. the project wished to embody this rhythm by using an irregular path which would lead the visitor in and out of the interior. the individual would start at the entrance from the west side of the building, passing through a narrow semi-outdoor corridor and out into the backyard. they would then turn north, which would lead them to the meditation room.

he wei ding hui yuan zen tea chamber beijing china designboom
the entrance hall of the second floor
image © zou bin

 

 

 

the interior details follow a similar ideology, by highlighting the natural light which changes and fades throughout the day. the meditative quality of the space is distinctly chinese, through the use of minimal impressions and repeated symbols that pursue a logical and modular diagram. a large wooden facade is used on the exterior which again reveals sections of the building in a carefully considered arrangement. a circle is inserted into the left side of this section, allowing a tree to grow outwards from behind the surface. this shape is a defining symbol of zen culture, and is repeated within each room, in order to bring one’s focus to a natural state of stillness. 

he wei ding hui yuan zen tea chamber beijing china designboom
the gathering space
image © zou bin 

zen tea chamber he wei ding hui yuan beijing china designboom
meditation room
image © zou bin 

he wei ding hui yuan zen tea chamber beijing china designboom
B-excessive space between the gathering space and large teahouse
image © zou bin 

he wei ding hui yuan zen tea chamber beijing china designboom
the large teahouse on the second floor
image © zou bin 

ding hui yuan zen tea chamber he wei beijing china designboom
the corridor leading to the courtyard
image © he wei

ding hui yuan zen tea chamber he wei beijing china designboom
the front porch, transformed from the existing roadside green
image © he wei

ding hui yuan zen tea chamber he wei beijing china designboom
the night view of the courtyard
image © zou bin 

plan ding hui yuan zen tea chamber he wei beijing china designboom
ground floor plan

plan ding hui yuan zen tea chamber he wei beijing china designboom
perspectivesection north-south

 

 

 

project info

 

project name: ding hui yuan zen & tea chamber
location: beijing, china
client: better lift art club co., ltd
principle architect: he wei
architecture and interior design team: chen long, wang qi, zhao zhuo-ran
lighting design team: zhang xin, han xiao-wei, zhou xuan-yu
special adviser: xue xiao-ming, zhang yi-cheng
contractor: beijing ghlh construction co., ltd
land area: 300 sqm
construction area: 450 sqm
design time: 2014-2015
construction time: 2015-2016.01
photographer: zou bin, he wei

 

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions  feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: hollie smith | designboom

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