atelier FCJZ: the bay

‘the bay’ by atelier FCJZ images courtesy of atelier FCJZ

chinese architecture studio, atelier FCJZ has completed ‘the bay’, a residential neighborhood in qingpu district, shanghai. the development, consisting of 20 houses of five varieties, sits on a 43 hectare site once used as fishpond. looking to integrate the new built environment with the natural and cultural context in which the neighborhood exists, the structures feature reinterpreted elements of tradition executed in a contemporary language.

entrance of house ‘B2’

entrance courtyard of house ‘B3’

the dwellings – constructed using materials unconventional to the area such as grey stone and steel – bear gable walls and sloped roofs reflective of details and components witnessed in the vernacular architecture of the region.

detail partition wall

containing several fully and partially enclosed courtyards, each structure, regardless of its configuration, is composed of a series of distinct and ranging volumes that definitively separate programmatic functions. the fragmented layouts ensure light and ventilation reach the depths of each house, regardless of the humid and rainy local climate.

one of the courtyards of house ‘B3’

(left) backyard of house ‘B3’ facing the lake (right) interior hallway

study room in house ‘B3’

back elevation of house ‘B3’ facing the lake

courtyard of house ‘B2’

balcony of house ‘B2’ overlooking the lake

overall view of neighborhood

site plan

floor plan of house ‘B2’ / level 0

floor plan of house ‘B2’ / level 1

elevation of house ‘B2’

elevation of house ‘B2’

section of house ‘B2’

section of house ‘B2’