- Area: 900 m²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Aoguan Performance of Architecture
Text description provided by the architects. Foreword: This project is located in a small mountain village in Yichang, Hubei. Surrounded by two water systems, the entire village is composed of semi-circular mountains and farmland. The mountain body chiefly contains natural rough stones, and the houses are all built with local stones.
Source: It originates from the local folk custom and the ancient stone wall masonry techniques. Adapted to local conditions, it is in line with the current lifestyle.
Question: The house is a stone house located in the village, with small stones stacked on the outside. It shows a chaotic texture and shoddy craftsmanship, but becomes real with the passage of time. The house was built with wooden structure and earth bricks. It has fallen into disrepair and cannot bear the weight of the stone wall.
Solution: To preserve the fabric of the stone wall, the original wooden structure is replaced by a steel frame structure. The stone wall has large-scale glass windows for proper dismantling and reverse masonry. A piece of steel structure glass embedded between the two stone houses acts as the entrance lobby and patio, and a staircase is added at the rear for leading to the second floor. The integrated design of the stone walls inside and outside is preserved.
On the first floor is a western-style café and enclosed fireplace, where guests chew the fat. On the other side, there are traditional Chinese books, incense, tea, and paintings, coupled with a restaurant, to meet the needs of different occupants.
The second floor has four guest rooms: three large rooms and one parent-child room. The existing wood is reused in the space, as a complement with stone walls and steel. The overall shape shows the integration of architecture and environment, and the relationship between space and nature. The window scenery also gives a poetic imagery.
Concluding remarks: landscape and idyll is found in the ancient village with stone houses. I dimly remember the melodious folk songs of Teacher Mao from Badong. The stone house tribe intends to express the painting imagery of the integration of nature and man.
