△ Night aerial view
△ Field-level perspective
△ Sunset over waterfields and buildings
The Vision Behind Yuantian Residence
Longyou is a small county located in southern Zhejiang, China, situated at the crossroads between plains and forests. It is accessible by a one-hour high-speed train ride from Hangzhou, followed by a short 5-kilometer drive along rural roads to Houshantou Natural Village, where the project is based. The village preserves its unique rural character, with expansive rice paddies stretching from the southern edge of the site to the nearby rolling hills, evoking a nostalgic countryside scene.
△ Aerial view of the fields
Spatial Sequence: The Three-Dimensional Cube
The residence is designed as a 12 by 10 meter cubic structure. The front courtyard, known as Taoli Luotang, features a vibrant variety of colors. Unlike typical elm and willow trees shading the back eaves, ginkgo trees are planted instead. The ground floor dining room opens onto the front yard via a 7-meter-wide cement patio, extending the indoor space outdoors for versatile activities.
The entrance gate introduces visitors to the home, leading through a corridor into a lofty, transparent, and ceremonial main hall. A Rubik’s cube-inspired staircase connects multiple levels: the first-floor public dining room, the second-floor multi-dimensional family gathering space, the third-floor sunlit tea room, and finally a semi-shaded, semi-transparent rooftop terrace that adapts to weather conditions and allows for roof maintenance. This terrace offers panoramic views of the distant landscape.
The home’s design integrates continuous, transparent public spaces that frame unique outdoor views. Five bedrooms are thoughtfully arranged along the primary circulation path.
△ Overhead aerial view
△ Aerial view evoking Japanese scenery
△ Front courtyard
△ Building facade
△ Main entrance
Concrete patio connecting the living room and front yard
△ Elevated foyer space
△ Living and dining areas
△ Living room
Staircase leading to the second floor
△ Living room
△ Flowing staircase
△ Staircase and skylights
Top-floor tea room and terrace
Top-level communal space
△ Reading area
△ Terrace and reading area
△ Terrace
Tea room with skylight
△ Tea room
Master bedroom
△ Bathroom
△ Second bedroom
Simple Exterior, Complex Interior
Our interpretation of Jiangnan rural architecture emphasizes a rich interior contrasted with a simple, unadorned exterior and elegant color schemes. This approach reduces costs while minimizing energy consumption. The double-pitched roof, designed close to the golden ratio, incorporates tiger windows and skylights to enrich the façade and improve lighting in the north-facing rooms.
A vertical glass curtain wall runs from the entrance to the rooftop, serving as the main axis of the façade. Variously sized windows in different functional areas create a geometric rhythm across the building. Above the concrete roof, a traditional wooden frame with wide overhanging eaves is added, creating an air circulation layer that enhances insulation and aesthetics.
The exterior walls are coated with a straw-mixed textured finish, while the base is constructed from locally sourced stone. These materials express strong rural characteristics that seamlessly blend into the surrounding countryside.
△ Front façade
△ Daily interactions with neighbors
Conclusion: Cherishing Irreplaceable Memories
The countryside is characterized by rural buildings surrounded by ample green spaces and courtyards with hard surfaces, which minimize insects near the structures and simplify maintenance. These dry, open spaces support a variety of activities.
The interior spaces of the residence are transparent and fluid, allowing any call to be heard throughout the family, facilitating communication. The wooden roof with large eaves provides rain protection and invites sparrows to nest, fostering harmony between humans and nature.
Modern lifestyles have transformed, yet it remains essential to integrate the unique poetry of rural life into contemporary living. By combining familiar traditional landscapes with modern needs, this project imagines a fresh vision of home.
Architecture amidst blooming rapeseed flowers
Nighttime Views of the Residence
△ Front night view
△ Building materials
△ Entrance and foyer
△ Rear façade
△ Rear façade
Project Drawings
△ Overall layout plan
△ Axial section 1
△ Axial section 2
△ Profile 1
△ Profile 2
△ Sketches and construction process
Project Details
Project Name: Rural Reflection – No. 28 Residence on the Back Hill of Longyou
Design Firm: Landscape Architecture Design and Research Institute, China Academy of Art
Website: __AI_S_TURL_0__
Contact Email: __AI_S_SC0__
Location: No. 18 Xidoumen Road, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China
Completion: May 2019
Building Area: 400 square meters
Land Area: 800 square meters
Cost: 950,000 yuan (Breakdown: 45 yuan for civil engineering, 40 yuan for interior, 10 yuan for landscape)
Project Address: Houshantou Village, Longyou, Zhejiang Province, China
Lead Architects: Chen Xiawei, Jin Tuo
Design Team: Ke Lijun, Wang Kai, Shen Junyan, Zhou Jianzheng
Interior Design: Chen Xiawei, Jin Tuo
Soft Decoration Design: Huang Zhiyong, Wang Jiejie
Landscape Design: Chen Xiawei, Xiao Jianping
Client: Zhou Shan
Construction Team: Local craftsmen
Photography: Shi Zheng
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