Two renowned Chinese painters chose to relocate to Songzhuang Art Village, a serene suburb of Beijing, to live and work. The peaceful environment and the artistic community of neighbors create an inspiring setting. The studio’s design deviates from traditional Chinese quadrangle courtyards in both appearance and construction principles, emphasizing instead the spatial qualities of the courtyard. Key features include residence—where outdoor space is enclosed by building structures and forms; introversion—where all openings face inward rather than the street; privacy—which increases as the courtyard deepens; and orientation—with the main living spaces facing south.
After careful consideration, the designer transformed these elements into an architectural concept that harmoniously integrates three parallel aspects: interior and exterior, work and life, and individual and collective.
The studio’s architectural form and distinctive spatial structures, developed through BIM training, create a variety of courtyard and outdoor spaces. The exterior walls provide protection from the outside world, while the interior opens onto the courtyard. A key design challenge was to reconcile two functions—work and life—which the architecture clearly distinguishes while also reflecting their complex relationship within the courtyard.
The design allows for both interconnection and separation in terms of time and space. Since the site serves two owners with distinct needs, the crucial design consideration was peaceful coexistence—balancing individual expression with shared collective space.
This architectural prototype successfully accommodates privacy and personalization alongside collective use and community interaction. It achieves this by providing outdoor spaces with varying degrees of privacy, transitioning smoothly from private zones to shared public areas, all facilitated through BIM work.
Project Drawings
▲ General Layout Plan
▲ First Floor Plan
▲ Second Floor Plan
▲ Front View 1
▲ Elevation View 2
▲ Elevation View 3
Project Information
Designer: Knowspace
Location: Beijing, China
Building Area: 1,488 square meters
Year: 2013
Construction: Wang Xingwei, Qin Qi
Structural Design: Cao Shanghui
Site Supervision: Qin Lichao
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