ORDOS 100 #8: R&Sie(n)

Jan 2009

By Ethel Baraona Pohl — Filed under: Houses , China, Garden, Ordos 100, R&Sie(n)

This villa is located in plot #26 of the ORDOS project.

Architects: R&Sie(n)
Location: Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China
Architects in Charge: Francois Roche, Stephanie Lavaux, Toshikatsu Kiuchi
Design year: 2008
Construction year: 2009
Curator: Ai Weiwei, Beijing, China
Client: Jiang Yuan Water Engineering Ltd, Inner Mongolia, China
Constructed Area: 1,000 sqm aprox

Preamble

…. this territory is Agharti. It extends through the undergrounds from the whole world, starting from Mongolia and Inner Mongolia. This territory comes from time or the two continents East and West formed an only one territories. This underneath world is lit by an intense unreal light coming from the plants. The citizens of this strange underground civilization undertake what pushes and appears on the surfaces of the earth’s crust, like the trees and grass.

Legend reported by Ferdynand Ossendowski, Beast, Men and Gods, Through
Mongolia, 1929-1921

————–

R&Sie propose the continuation of this legend, to develop a topography which connects these two universes and which articulate the relation between two climates, one outdoor, dry, sandy and windy, and the other luminous, greens, and protected in interiorities.

Trickling of water

Water and its collecting are generating morphology of the movement of ground. The basin is not only one place of baths but it is the apparatus from which the uses, circulations and the life in the project are articulated. Water is invaluable in this part of China, this proposal assumes the scarcity in a crucible of it, in a sophisticated case.

Reflective, undulating and vibrating surface will create moreover one contribution of shade and light and will qualify spaces with the circumference of the basin.

Proliferating garden and ceremony of bath

The interior atmosphere is luminous and green. A winter garden which is rolled up around the basin colonizes all spaces and introduces an idea of a landscape. Mousses and bamboos pushes in the cavities and the inhabitants slip through these zones fresh and luminous as a ceremony of bath in the dry desertic climate.

Articulation of use

The project proposes three levels like as many contrasted environments:

- Level 0 / Day life around the basin / direct light by the central crater / exuberant hydroponics winter garden / wellness center and sauna related to the inner basins and external one / zone of life for workers in direct relationship with spaces of services, light for workers apartment by `’English court”.

- Level 1/ Entrance and public access through the green landscape articulating the three levels and allowing the fluidity of the access to the basins /zenithal light through the vegetation /Around the crater, spaces more private, as the Lounge with soft light and intimated area /access points of spaces of night.

- Level 2/ Spaces only dedicated to the night.

Topography of glazed tiles blue-green

The geometry of the movement of ground made a roof, diffracted in multiple brilliant tiles, simulating a water film ”after the rain”. The coloring of the tiles, parameterized with a random script according to the zones reintroduces variability in the repetition and blurs thus perception of each square element. The tiles are of dimension 150×150 mm, aspect clearer in the crater and more sandy on the limits of the parcel. Their number is about 30000 units.

Geometrical, high degradation and low definition

The process of degradation geometrical can be reversed. That implies a cost of construction rising and a knowledge of contractors more sophisticated (curves surfaces). The cursor of definition can be proposed like the free choice of the client, according to the degree of his investment.

: site plan

: lower level plan

: middle level plan

: upper level plan

: roof plan

: landscape work 01

: landscape work 02

: landscape work 03

: landscape work 04

: definition of roof / car park

: roof tile pattern 01

: roof tile pattern 02

: roof tile pattern 03

: roof tile pattern 04

: roof tile pattern 05

: roof tile pattern 06

: elevations 01

: elevations 02

37 comments »

Richie says:

Are these ORDOS houses all right beside one another?.. That is going to be one eclectic neighbourhood!

# January 8, 2009 at 13:17

odris says:

is the most relevant proyect in that neighbourhood…

# January 8, 2009 at 15:41

xing says:

…..by first glance, very exciting, looks like “green”. But what a pity is: the green surface aims only for the recovery of existing environment, it is problematic:

1) the existing landform is almost empty, so what could it be recovered? what is the purpose?
2) the arid desert climate hardly allows those green mountains to survive more than three months.
2) the green dragon diagram is interesting, but also meaningless
3) since it is a huge scale 100 slots house one by one, the re-definition of intended typological surface would eventually isolate itself from the lots.

above all, nice image, inappropriate ideas

# January 8, 2009 at 17:27

roadkill says:

the world has gone mad… but i doubt the bourgeois elite that can afford such ‘masterpieces’ would ever buy into this vacant plot

# January 8, 2009 at 18:12

Kim says:

Answer to Xing on argument 2) the green mountain is made of green chinese tiles, the rest of the landscape is made of the existing ferns of Mongolia, have a look at this page, the first photo explains it all:
http://www.new-territories.com/ordos%20100rsie.htm

Answer to roadkill:
The world is much more complex and various than what you learn from your middle class liberal and puritan architectural education, upgrade your knowledge or stay a reactionary bourgeois.

# January 8, 2009 at 20:49

mafa says:

so far the ordos collection of houses is a ridiculous output. it seems the result of a workshop for kids playing with computers and modelling software.

the only project worthy of the term architecture is alejandro aravena’s. when i first saw it i thought it was perhaps turned too much into itself. after seeing the others that seems to be a wise decision. imagine having to look all the time to those “creative endeavors”!

# January 9, 2009 at 05:34

Amelie says:

well, well, again dispute on a R&Sie(n) project
I love the legend of the Preamble, this Agharti mogolian Kingdom.
Could we consider this Ordos project as a politic answer / It s seems that all the architect accepted the commission very naivelly, and participate activelly to the colonisation of the Inner Mongolia without any scruples.
Could we see the project as a dry desertic climate of the Chineese hostile surface wrapping an ”unreachable” sweet and wet Utopia of the Mongolian underground. Perhabs, it s not so innocent !

# January 9, 2009 at 05:35

Frix says:

Faut il s’agacer ou rire des commentaires de la branche fashion du forum Archdaily ?
Simple mauvaise foi ou réelle errance?, d’une pensée exsangue, qui n’a plus d’autre argument que le monde est vraiment pourri, et qu’il n’y d’autre solution pour faire voler en éclats cette foutue classe bourgeoise inculte et ce système sclérosé par la toute puissance des Btp que de balancer d’immondes projets totalement irrationnels à grands renforts d’images virtuelles dégueulasses et de raccourcis intellectuels honteusement mensongers. Tout en ayant pour clients les types les plus blindés de ce système. Parce que quand meme, faut pas déconner…

# January 9, 2009 at 08:42

archipoo says:

Kim,why so serious?
Did you work on this project?

# January 9, 2009 at 08:44

Ordos 100 is most interesting for the fact, that it is a very chinese strategy. As buildings are only build once they are sold, they have to generate a hype first (theme, starchitect, event driven etc.). Here they made something very smart: They hired inexperienced, young, willing and ignorant foreign architects for little money, put them under the umbrella of a brand name (and I guess HdM and Ai Wei Wei got 100 times the fee of the poor bunch of 100) in order to get the inexperienced, young, willing and ignorant foreign media drooling to publish the next gen, chosen by the current stars. And see: They created such a hype, that even Rothchild might want to buy a shitty cottage in goddamn in the goddamn middle of nowhere. Brilliant strategy and we cannot congratulate more the genius, who created that idea. The losers are unfortunately the guys who take this serious, aka the bunch of 100 (and unfortunately none of them used the chance of irony) and the media, that reports on it.

# January 9, 2009 at 09:04

To archipoo:
Kim’s probably didnt work on this project, when you click on Kim’s name, u reach Great LAVA architects. But Kim HAS to be serious: Kim s telling the truth, you know, u have to be serious when telling the truth. I mean, Kim has told it: you HAVE to upgrade your knowledge unless you’ll never understand his think. When u save the world every day working for petrol kings or real estate investisers, u have to be serious; what? you didnt know working for bourgeois is totally has been?
Archipoo, u have to know something: three people here are telling us the truth and ARE serious; they are Kim, who probably works for LAVA, Alain, situationism professional, and Amelie, who i guess as a Manuelle Gontrand employee or a Zaha hadid’s intern. Sometimes they re even approved by the great Francois Roche. When they write something on archdaily’s forum, hold on a couple of months and read some books before answering them. You’ll never imagine how intelligent these people are. They can save the world modeling a project on 3dmax, so they deserve our respect and their serious shouldnt be questioned. And remember: Upgrade your knowledge…

# January 9, 2009 at 09:38

Kim,

Thanks for your reference. I did a look at the image. Yes, for sure, the desert vegetation always exisit and when I goes back to the rendering image, I found more latent relationship in terms of its topology. but still, I am trying to critically thinking one thing: this kind of desert are sandy desert, they are fluent, and cause standstorm during specific days, so I hope the “sand” surface on its roof is not a problem. Again, the green design principles in arid architecture is always challenging, esp for this sandy desert, super hot in summer, shortage of water, sandstorm, limited vegetation. I hope it would be better to see more “green concerns and strategies of desert architecture in this design.

But, to be frank, this #8 lot is absolutely on the RIGHT way to go for this whole complex design interface.

# January 9, 2009 at 12:17

Frix are you jaleous ”la main dans le sac de ta propre ingnorance” creating by this way your own misunderstanding. I m more lesbian, but I hate Gautrand or Hadid for s.x affair. Alain seems not so bad. About the project, re-read KIM. They is no sand on the top but glazing tile… for a raining aspect in a dry hostile zone.
It s clearly the Ordos best project / using the location to produce the transformation of the location (without regionalism aspect). Mainly the other proposals could be done anywhere else, with any other client in any other condition…as the revival of international architecture, autist and blind…but you love that mister Frix (blind capitalism)

# January 9, 2009 at 12:47

Franchement, Amélie, je me contrecarre assez puissamment de tes préférences sexuelles, inutile de t’en targuer sur ce forum, d’autant plus que la misandrie hargneuse avec laquelle tu t’exprimes ne laisse aucun doute sur cet état de fait, but you love that miss Amélie…
Concernant le projet, j’ai envie de demander à Monsieur Roche, ce brillant intellectuel capable d’envoyer chier tous ses confrères – et je l’en remercie, il nous fait bien marrer – sous pretexte qu’ils profitent du système, ce qu’il fout dans cette abjecte opération dégueulante d’éltisme mis à part profiter d’un système encore plus crétin que celui du BTP. En quête de nouvelles situations, n’est ce pas?…

# January 9, 2009 at 13:41

frix est pas content, mais pas content du tout… le petit garcon, tout frippon, il a perdu sa maman, oh le petit polisson, ce frix, quel gamin, infantile, puerile, de la tété, il n en a gardé que de la frustration… Pauvre petit bout qui tripatouille sa zigounette, si ca te fait du bien frix / on t en veux pas …. mais please evite d’ejaculer ta M… sur ce forum. A

# January 9, 2009 at 15:04

Tu es ridicule Amélie

# January 9, 2009 at 15:09

hi, hi, hi…petit macho en herbe… ta tou ce qui faut pour devenir un archi estampillé FRANCE (ceux la meme que roche vomit…comme tu le dit si bien)

# January 9, 2009 at 15:17

je peux ejaculer sur ta tete sinon?

# January 9, 2009 at 15:20

David Basulto says:

English please… we are loosing your wonderful comments :)

# January 9, 2009 at 15:26

Virginia says:

Ditto David…my translation site gives a very mixed version.

# January 9, 2009 at 20:49

its not necessary to translate / just frixfrench Vulgarity of bastard architects lost in their selfishpride

# January 10, 2009 at 06:49

bothands says:

Jeez louise! a bit testy, no?

# January 11, 2009 at 04:39

My poor Frix,
Reading or at least upgrading your knowledge on contemporary work, economy and industrial practice has never been a bad thing. Especially if you understand that theory now is getting closer and closer to renewing the construction industry.
Irrationality is coming from the construction industry. They know it, building construction (BTP) is the least advance industry, and they are actually asking us, the architects to be more daring. How irrational it is to keep building like 50 years ago at the age of automated construction in car industry, and hyperchoice in high tech commodity ?
No it is not about representing a nice image with 3dsmax, something done by most of corporate architect nowadays, but using a combination of sofwares (BIM, GC, Grasshopper,and many more) to link formal research to engineering process, scripting and finding new methods of construction that gives life back to our profession. F.Roche and many others now, are building what you call fashion architecture, which is actually advance construction methods. Have a look at what Gaudi, Frei Otto and Utzon did (they are precursors), they were outsiders in Modern architecture history, but they become more and more relevant…
Keep the faith.

# January 11, 2009 at 07:34

http://www.archdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/474132118_structural-mesh.jpg

Advance construction method? You joking isn’it?

# January 11, 2009 at 11:38

Contemporary Art says:

I think this looks interesting, but as we say in art a bit theatrical. It doesn’t feel like a real building, but a representation of a building. Uncharitably, it feels fake. Charitably, it just feels a bit rhetorical.

It does seem like everyone is a bit afraid of being branded middle class; it’s actually a good thing! Ask some real poor people, I’m sure they’d switch with you.
–
http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com

# January 11, 2009 at 11:41

kim… you’re just pretentious and clueless – the ‘moral high ground’ must be a lonely place hey?!

# January 11, 2009 at 13:45

nzl says:

will we be able to stand more of the pure waste of talents, energy and ressources this ordos thing looks like?
I wonder how it could “give life to our profession”, as kim says. It might just kill it for good by lack of a minimum social and ethical consciousness.Ordos or the seven cardinal sins of contemporary architecture ?
Lust: flirt only with the rich and famous
Gluttony: accept any commission
Greed: never share, defend your territory as a stronghold
Sloth: revamp old ideas over and over
Wrath: insult and humiliate those who question your deeds
Envy: for all those who were not chosen
Pride: advertise what you do as unique, new and unreachble to others

# January 11, 2009 at 14:13

Frix, you can do better. Peut mieux faire.

Contemporary Art, just get out a little bit of your Post
Modern rethoric, (your website is full of PoMo obsolete and decadent, boring, “Ready-Made-to-be-thrown-to-the-Garbage-of-contemporary-history” art) it is not about the cultural representation of a building, but about a territorial invetigation out of a narrative. Sorry for being rude, but have a look at that:
http://www.suckerpunchdaily.com/

Roadkill, you are just too predictable, you started to insult people about their bourgeois taste, and now you are taking about high moral ground…man, I don’t care about moral, I am not your father. Just stick out your finger out of your bum and update your obsolete knowledge about architecture. Soon hundred thousands of kids are going to make you redundant.

# January 11, 2009 at 16:41

judging by the amount of crap that comes out of your mouth the only danger you all present is to high levels of unemployment… bless

# January 11, 2009 at 18:35

Kim, what have I to do better?? Don’t understand. U really think the mesh shown on the render has something to do with advance construction method?? I see just a painfull and laborious answer to “how to build my fantasy world”, no more… It’s OK cause mister Jiang Yuan has many bucks to spend in his pharaonic dream, but there’s really none of “advance” in that scheme, it’s an archaic way to realise a falsely modern idea.
I’ve read other post u wrote on some other projects, and it seems to me your look on “what is new and what is not” would be sharper if you didnt trust so much your knowledge…
Let me tell you about another precursor you dont talk about, called Fernand Pouillon. As great inventors you evoque, he was an outsider in Modern architecture, absolutely exclued of history manuals. Having a first look at his realisations, there ’s nothing specilally new in his architecture. I’m pretty sure you will explain me he belongs to a passeist vision of making housing. Anyway, none of other french architect at his time answered as well as he did to the housing crysis in france and North Africa; he made many more housings than others, faster, cheaper, larger, and never ignoring the place he was acting in. Projects he made are nothing more than extremly classical, but the way he made them exactly represent the “renewing construction industry” you’re talking about.
What i’m trying to say through this example is the very relative aspect of novelty in architecture. Architecture has none to see with making a product, you can’t compare it with producing televisions, micro owens or cars. I think the desperate will of Mister Roche -and others- to do something that doesnt look like architecture is a non-issue path. Never in the history architecture has been re-invented, it’s a just modern religion to think we can do without considering millenairs of architecture improvement. The best Francois Roche will reach this way is making contemporary art, just have a look at projects he really realised… but i dont consider his work making performing issues about BTP’s lack of efficiency. He just refuses to answer true questions and condamn himself to act in some very spectacular context.

# January 11, 2009 at 18:36

ica says:

I THINK this project is a joke.

# January 12, 2009 at 15:13

Cesar Castro says:

The whole ORDOS is a joke. A very bad one by the way.

# September 26, 2009 at 09:10

Frix, thank you for your comment, that’s what I was expecting from you, a real debated opinion, and references to your argumentation. I really appreciate you are talking about Fernand Pouillon as I really enjoyed “Les Pierres Sauvages”.

I think the time have change now, and we can’t talk any more about a conflict between the Ancients and the Moderns. It is an obsolete way of reading contemporary architecture and is actually a very Modern and Post modern perception of Architecture.

Time have change, and some architects are actually going back to mathematics and old way of seing the profession that were condemned by the likes of Corbusier and P.Johnson or even Mies.
Notice for exemple that someone like Villard de Honnecourt, D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson (On Growth and Form), Gottfried Semperas as well as Loos and Gaudi, are evocated by Francois Roche, Michael Hensel & Achim Menge(Ocean), Lars Spuybroek, Greg Lynn, or even Patrick Schumacher (Z.Hadid), for their relationship, their geometrical discoveries to the construction process.

It is not anymore a question of new and old, or even re-invention, but continuity of practice that were perceived as dead end by the Moderns. In that way it is not a Post modern approach, because it is not dealing with the representation of the clash between the new and history, nor it is a Neo-modern attempt by eradicating the old school.

I think your reading of the work of Roche is mixed up.

# January 12, 2009 at 19:23

Alby says: