ORDOS 100 #37: Polaris Architects

This villa is located in plot #63 of the ORDOS project.

Architects: Polaris Architects
Location: Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China
Principals in Charge: Carole Schmit & François Thiry
Design year: 2008
Construction year: 2009-2010
Curator: Ai Weiwei, Beijing, China
Client: Jiang Yuan Water Engineering Ltd, Inner Mongolia, China
Constructed Area: 1,000 sqm aprox

Villa #63 by Polaris Architects is entitled Showcase Study House. The building aims to meet the expectations of an art collector, a gallery owner or an artist.

The user’s profile is described by the architects in a manifesto entitled « House for Mr. and Ms. X ». The user’s profile looks somewhat like the architects, who are themselves modest contemporary art collectors.

Some 10 European artists who contributed to the architects’ own collection kindly lent illustrations of original artworks to support the idea of a coherent private exhibition. These artworks are not part of the design by Polaris Architects and remain their respective authors’ property.

The main exhibition hall constitutes the core of the villa. All other functions are located in two wings, one on each side of the main hall. The master bedroom, dining and living rooms are oriented southward. The other bedrooms, the kitchen and the garage are located in the second wing. The underground level, open to the garden, includes an indoor swimming pool, a gym and a sauna. The garden is foreseen to serve as an additional exhibition and event space, and also features an outdoor swimming pool.

All bearing walls are made of cast-in-place concrete. The design offers a continuous envelope made of thick rigid insulation in order to achieve « low » to « passive » energy performance. The facade is strongly insulated, covered by coating and painted according to a specific pattern. The roof is made of wood carpentry, insulated and covered by zinc.