studio 10 transforms community center in china with cloister courtyard & arched verandas

in an attempt to rejuvenate the historical qinchang village, in central china, studio 10 has introduced a new design for the local community center. the new structure draws inspiration from archetypes of traditional earth shelters, to explore the duality of both transcendence and everyday life aesthetics and generate a lively gathering space for all villagers. 

all images by chao zhang

before studio 10‘s renovation, the building appeared as a cold, distant two-story building covered in grey tiles. adjacent to it, an enclosed, long courtyard had separated the western residential areas from the eastern traffic and nature, making it necessary for pedestrians to cross it, in order to get from one side to the other. 

studio 10 has penetrated the courtyard walls with arched verandas, to create an open cloister-style area. the planar arches used repeatedly on the facades of the old building have been reinforced and extracted, reappearing as a motif throughout the new project, in a symbolic manner. in this way, pedestrian experience is facilitates and enhanced through a symbolical path of increased porosity, while the cloister space provides a spacious hang-out area for the villagers. 

the open courtyard blends with the surrounding nature, blurring the lines between exterior and interior, while inviting locals to relax, explore and interact within it. with the new design, the community center generates a fresh environment, encouraging everyone to be present, open and social. ‘in today’s age of information and smartphones, villagers can still take a walk to the blackboards bulletin for obtaining information and exchanging gossip with acquaintances’ the studio says. 

project info: 

name: qinchang village CPC branch office community center
architects: studio 10
principal‐in‐charge: shi zhou
design team: an huang, chunhui mo, cristina moreno cabello, meishi zhao, xin zheng, zixia huang, hao wu(intern), liangyu shen(intern), feifei chen(project assistant), jiaxiao bao(project assistant), ming tang(project assistant) (in alphabetical order)
special consultant: shuaijun han, pengfei chen
graphic design consultant: sure design
lighting design consultant: matt lighting design associates
construction drawings consultant: zhengzhou kaiwu landscape design ltd.
construction: henan chuanghui architecture & decoration engineering co., ltd.
location: xiuwu county, jiaozuo, henan province, china

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