atelier FCJZ: FRP house

‘FRP house’ by atelier FCJZ, nanjing, china all images courtesy of atelier FCJZ

by beijing-based firm atelier FCJZ, the ‘FRP house’, short for ‘fiber reinforced polymer’ is a single family residence in nanjing, china which attempts to design for ecological sustainability in the context of the country’s technological developments. research for and use of new building materials is one of the primary strategies in designing for sustainability. the structure’s materiality  therefore took precedence and the goal of testing FRP as a building material was to create a new type of lightweight architecture.  with similar mechanical properties as steel, it has a unit mass a fifth of steel, with an even greater tensile strength. the low-heat  manufacturing process and lightness allows for ease of transportation and construction, resulting in greater energy efficiency and less impact on the land.

garden

in collaboration with a civil engineering institute, the design process consisted of a series of research and development  on the material composition and structural capacity of the new building material. rigorous stress tests revealed its mechanical behavior that determined the optimal material composition for application, while a special technique developed it as an architectural component through a simple and convenient manufacturing process. in contrast to concrete and steel,, the use of FRP, allowed for a structural system well-suited for utilizing plug-in joints and prefabrication, rather than welding and on-site construction generating a rapidly-assembled architecture whose formal expression is a response to the construction process. a constructed 2-storey mock-up of the structure in beijing qianmen verified the investigations.

bedroom

despite the highly technical process, the technology remains embedded in and inspired by an intimate understanding of  contemporary and traditional culture. the structural system is a reflection of the lightness and re-usability of traditional chinese  wooden architecture, as much as it is an attempt in developing contemporary design culture through the wielding of  new materials and techniques.

building segment

building segment

detail

preparing for testing

installation + orientation

testing for 2 levels structure unit

level 1 load

level 1 load

data collection

site plan

(left) floor plan / waterside level 1 (right) floor plan / waterside level 2

(left) floor plan / central level (right) floor plan / entry level

section

research framework

general narrative

manufacturing

material + structural testing

construction

system study

architectural application

model in atelier FCJZ’s beijing studio image © designboom

model in atelier FCJZ’s beijing studio

image © designboom

project info:

project: FRP house – CIPEA (china international practical exhibition of architecture) location: south zhenzhuquan area, north foshou lake, zhongzhuang reservoir, nanjing, jiangsu province client: nanjing foshou lake art development co. ltd architecture design: atelier FCJZ principal architect: yung ho chang project architect: lu bing liu project team: hen long, wu xia, wang lin, feng bo, huang peng, yan ping wang consultant: nanjing university of technology, civil engineering institute R & D: atelier FCJZ and nanjing university of technology building area: 70 sq. meters building stories: 2-storied aboveground, 1 story elevated structural type: FRP spaced structural framing system design period: 2003-2010 proposed completion: 2011 construction time: 2010-2011