studio pei zhu: 'cai guo qiang courtyard house', beijing

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ all images © studio pei zhu

chinese architectural firm studio pei zhu beautifully restored a single-storey merchant’s house – the ‘cai guo-qiang courtyard’ – in a beijing hutong. the house, says zhu, is ‘about 200 years old. here, we have had the budget to create a house that belongs to old beijing and to the modern city. it is simple, free of ornament. the houses, although narrow, are deep, you enter into high-walled entrance courtyards and then into inner courtyards that are double-height living rooms. behind the kitchens are gardens to coutyards. and on top of the bedrooms, we have roof terraces. courtyards within courtyards, offering privacy, daylight and space.’

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ before renovation

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ before renovation

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ before renovation

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ after renovation

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ after renovation

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ interior

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ corridor

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ interior

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ interior

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ interior

‘cai guo-qiang courtyard house’ interior

view the work of the artist cai guo qiang: cai guo qiang on the roof cai guo qiang I want to believe cai guo qiang

more: http://www.studiopeizhu.com disappearing art museum by studio pei zhu