archstudio realizes 6000 sqm organic farmhouse in tangshan, china

in china’s tangshan city, on the borders of the guye district, archstudio completes its latest project — a 6000 sqm organic farmhouse. the site is a rectangular flat land that acts as a workshop to process organic food and other raw materials coming from surrounding regions. the produces are first collected, packed and then delivered across the country as finished products.

overview of the organic farmhouse, lit during evening
image © jin wei-qi

for this project, archstudio was influenced by traditional courtyard building. indeed, their initial idea was to create a magnified version of a courtyard house with a self-contained and flexible work space — forming a harmonious connection with the natural surrounding and flat fields. the entire complex is made up of four enclosed, relatively independent, houses: material storage, mill, oil pressing workshop and packing area. at the boundary of the building, an external corridor connects the four areas — which is also the route to visit the food processing work space.

the inner courtyard is the grain-sunning ground, with a convenient work-cycle line shaped around it. the central courtyard randomly spans out around the building and topologically forms a space of multiple layers –meeting the demands for natural ventilation and lighting while maintaining a nice interior and exterior spatial quality. the organic connection between the courtyard and houses creates functional and flexible areas of different sizes, under one big roof: small corridor, medium rooms and large workshop space.

the design of the project creates a corresponding relationship with the surroundings
image © jin wei-qi

the design chooses glued timber as the main structural component due to its light weight, natural and easily processed properties. the farm also sits in a 60cm cement base — making it look as if floating above ground. this technique allows the wood structure to be moist-proofed against the ground and hides the pipelines of several fixed equipment. the facades are covered in translucent PVC boards, which is light weighted and easily installed as well. the choice of materials, structure and multiple layered exterior courtyards create an overall warm, natural and continuous working atmosphere for the organic farm.

simple lighting scheme highlights the architectural borders
image © jin wei-qi

the 60 cm cement base gives the impression of a floating structure
image © jin wei-qi

PVC boards and timber create a simple and pleasing result
image © jin wei-qi

light wood structures and translucent facades create visual comfort
image © jin wei-qi

interior work space
image © jin wei-qi

elevation view of an interior work space during evening time
image © jin wei-qi

image © jin wei-qi

project info:

project name: organic farm
design team: han wen-qiang, li xiao-ming, wang han, jiang zhao, huang tao
design company: archstudio
location: guzhi district, tangshan city, hebei province, china
project type: agricultural architecture
site area: 6000 sqm
architectural area: 1720 sqm
design period: 2015.06 – 2015.09
construction period: 2015.09 – 2016.04
author: han wen-qiang

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: lea zeitoun | designboom

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