archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing

the project transforms a 400-square-meter site into a serene guesthouse organized around three cherished family trees.

Sunshine edited by thomai tsimpou April 27, 2025 4 min

Archstudio completes guesthouse around three trees

In the shifting landscape of North Yangjiaqiao Village, Beijing, where colored steel roofs and Western-style houses disrupt the memory of traditional courtyard homes, ARCHSTUDIO steps in with a grounded response. Named Lei Homestay, the project transforms a 400-square-meter site in Pinggu District into a serene guesthouse organized around three cherished family trees—two persimmons and one walnut. These trees not only inspire the homestay’s poetic name—Lei (耒), an ancient agricultural tool composed of three ‘wood’ radicals—but also structure the architecture itself. Guided by a framework of laminated timber, the building is a contemporary take on the village’s vanishing courtyard typology, offering a breathing, tree-hugging sanctuary.

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 1 — all images by Wang Ning, unless stated otherwise

brick walls shield Lei Homestay in beijing

The site, once cluttered with incongruous structures and temporary sheds, is now reimagined as a thoughtful composition of interlocking volumes and open courtyards. Beijing-based ARCHSTUDIO’s Lei Homestay balances intimacy and openness, enclosing the ground floor with solid brick walls for privacy while carving out sunlit social spaces—living, dining, and kitchen areas—that open inward to the trees. The second level introduces six guestrooms floating above the street wall like a timber canopy. Their staggered platforms mirror the organic rhythm of the trees, blending lofts, tatami-style rooms, and family suites into a fluid yet distinct hospitality experience.

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 2 — the project transforms a 400-square-meter site in Pinggu District into a serene guesthouse

prefabricated construction responds to the site restrictions

Local constraints—height restrictions, setback rules, and a limited footprint—became tools for invention. To double the site’s original volume without disrupting the village scale, the architects leaned into prefabricated timber construction, ensuring both environmental performance and spatial richness. Scots pine serves as the primary structural material, offering warmth and tactility, while reclaimed bricks from the site lend texture and memory to the walls. A ribbon of gray asphalt shingles slips down from the pitched roof and partially clads the facade, giving the building its defining silhouette—a floating, forest-like dwelling nestled in the rural fabric.

Beyond offering seven guest rooms and generous common areas, Lei Homestay is designed as a future node of community interaction. The owner’s vision expands beyond commerce: the space is intended to double as a social and cultural hub for the village, a place where guests and locals can meet under the canopy of trees, quite literally.

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 3 — Lei Homestay is organized around three cherished family trees

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 4 — the building is a contemporary take on the village’s vanishing courtyard typology

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 5 — a breathing, tree-hugging sanctuary

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 6 — the site was once cluttered with incongruous structures and temporary sheds

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 7 — enclosing the ground floor with solid brick walls

archstudio-courtyard-tradition-timber-framed-guesthouse-beijing-designboom-large03 — staggered platforms mirror the organic rhythm of the trees

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 8 — blending lofts, tatami-style rooms, and family suites into a fluid hospitality experience

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 9 — local constraints became tools for invention | image by Jin Weiqi

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 10 — scots pine serves as the primary structural material | image by Jin Weiqi

archstudio revives courtyard tradition with timber-framed guesthouse in beijing - 11 — the guesthouse offers seven guest rooms and generous common areas

archstudio-courtyard-tradition-timber-framed-guesthouse-beijing-designboom-large02 — ARCHSTUDIO’s Lei Homestay balances intimacy and openness | image by Jin Weiqi

reclaimed bricks from the site lend texture and memory to the walls a composition of interlocking volumes and open courtyards Lei Homestay is designed as a future node of community interaction the space is intended to double as a social and cultural hub for the village a ribbon of gray asphalt shingles slips down from the pitched roof a floating, forest-like dwelling nestled in the rural fabric a place where guests and locals can meet under the canopy of trees image by Jin Weiqi image by Jin Weiqi image by Jin Weiqi

project info:

name: Lei Homestay

architect: ARCHSTUDIO
location: North Yangjiaqiao Village, Pinggu District, Beijing, China
area: 564 square meters

chief designers: Han Wenqiang, Li Xiaoming

design team: Guo Jiangang, Lei Xin, Wang Yikai (intern)

structural consulting: Beijing Xinnansen Wood Structure Engineering Co., Ltd.

MEP consulting: Zheng Baowei, Li Dongjie, Zhang Yingnan
construction firm: Beijing Xinnansen Wood Structure Engineering Co., Ltd.

photographer: Wang Ning, Jin Weiqi

video: Jin Weiqi

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