TAO renovates split courtyard house for beijing design week

TAO renovates split courtyard house for beijing design week
images courtesy of trace architecture office

commonly associated with northern chinese cities, ‘hutongs’ are a type of narrow street that connect single storey courtyard houses, known as ‘siheyuan’. during beijing design week 2015, local practice TAO / trace architecture office has unveiled the complete renovation of one such dwelling. located in beijing’s historic baitasi district, the ‘split courtyard house’ provides rental accommodation for young people working in the area.

the buildings retain their tile-clad pitched roofs

a traditional ‘siheyuan’ features a central courtyard with a series of connecting rooms, a layout not suitable for modern day living. consequently, the design team rearranged the site to provide private space for four individuals, organized around a shared living room. this pinwheel configuration also ensures that each resident has their own secluded external courtyard.

each resident has their own secluded external courtyard

apricot and date trees have been chosen for the private patios, while internally, beds have been elevated in order to free up the ground floor for other uses. a skylight and full height glazing provide natural illumination and establish a stronger connection with the natural environment. at the heart of the plan, the communal area offers a space for residents to converse or dine together.

apricot and date trees have been chosen for the private patios

in terms of its construction, the house has been built using a lightweight prefabricated wall panel system, that both shortens the work period, and reduces onsite disruption. externally, the buildings retain their tile-clad pitched roofs, while internally, white surfaces present a simple and bright backdrop appropriate for modern living. transformed from a traditional typology, the dwellings are a new type of single storey house, inserted within the vernacular hutong context.

the scheme attempts to establish a relationship with the natural environment

apertures of various shapes are found within the design
image © designboom

a skylight and full height glazing provide natural illumination

beds have been elevated in order to free up the ground floor for other uses

sleeping accommodation is found at the upper level
image © designboom

the communal area offers a space for residents to converse or dine together

white surfaces present a simple and bright backdrop appropriate for modern living

a narrow entrance provides access

hua li, founder and principle of TAO
image © designboom

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project info:

title: split courtyard house
client: huarongjinying investment development co., ltd.
location: xicheng district, beijing, china
program: shared rental house
architect: hua li / TAO (trace architecture office)
design team: hua li, zhang feng, liu xiaoya, lai erxun, liu wenjuan, igor bragado fernandez, zhang zhiming, shen zhouya, zhao wei
structural system: luxwood lightweight wall panel system
site area: 97 sqm
floor area: 82 sqm
design: january 2014 – june 2014
construction: february 2015 – may 2015