ZAO / standardarchitecture has completed a hostel inside a renovated beijing hutong that measures just 30 square meters. the project continues the firm’s interest in this typology — typical to the chinese capital — after previously designing a ‘co-living courtyard’ and a library and gallery space. for this scheme, as with the studio’s earlier work, the brief was to explore the potential of small scale social housing within the city’s traditional architecture.
the hostel is located inside a renovated hutong in beijing / all images by wu qingshan
guests enter the hostel through a transitional space, a semi-public area conceived by ZAO / standardarchitecture as an ‘urban vestibule’ that can be used by inhabitants and the wider community. behind, in the more private part of the scheme, extruded volumes with floor-to-ceiling glazing project outwards into a centrally positioned courtyard. these two-storey units, which have been constructed using board formed concrete, are illuminated from above via skylights.
the living units are found at the rear of the scheme
in addition to enhancing the flow of air and light, the courtyard also creates a direct relationship between the various living spaces and the entrance building — which acts as a transitional zone between the private rooms and the street. ‘the result is an architectural operation that brings back the courtyard as a generator of the program, as it activates the building by creating a direct relationship with its urban context,’ explains ZAO / standardarchitecture.
the extruded volumes, with floor-to-ceiling glazing, project outwards
the entire project measures just 30 square meters
the new interventions have been made from board formed concrete
the two-storey hostel rooms are illuminated from above
guests enter the hostel through a semi-public transitional space
the ‘urban vestibule’ can be used by both inhabitants of the hostel and the wider community
the micro hutong viewed from the passing street
angled skylights help illuminate the compact interiors
the project explores the potential of small scale social housing
project info:
architect: ZAO/standardarchitecture
project architects: zhang ke, zhang mingming
design team: zhang ke, zhang mingming, huang tanyu, ao ikegami, dai haifei
location: beijing, china
building area: 30 sqm
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It looks nice but must be very uncomfortable. No insulation in Beijing, with 15cm concrete walls, -10ºc in winter, +40ºc in summer, with no operable windows or visible heating…. good luck!