‘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.

atelier FCJZ: the bay entrance of house ‘B2’

atelier FCJZ: the bay

atelier FCJZ: the bay 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.

atelier FCJZ: the bay 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.

atelier FCJZ: the bay one of the courtyards of house ‘B3’

atelier FCJZ: the bay (left) backyard of house ‘B3’ facing the lake (right) interior hallway

atelier FCJZ: the bay study room in house ‘B3’

atelier FCJZ: the bay back elevation of house ‘B3’ facing the lake

atelier FCJZ: the bay courtyard of house ‘B2’

atelier FCJZ: the bay balcony of house ‘B2’ overlooking the lake

atelier FCJZ: the bay overall view of neighborhood

atelier FCJZ: the bay site plan

atelier FCJZ: the bay floor plan of house ‘B2’ / level 0

atelier FCJZ: the bay floor plan of house ‘B2’ / level 1

atelier FCJZ: the bay elevation of house ‘B2’

atelier FCJZ: the bay elevation of house ‘B2’

atelier FCJZ: the bay section of house ‘B2’

atelier FCJZ: the bay section of house ‘B2’