▲ Architectural Appearance © Zhang Lei
Fangyuan is situated in the Industrial Park of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The owner envisioned transforming a corner of this highly industrialized park into a serene office and leisure space, designing a dedicated service building within it.
Project Objective: Restoring an Authentic Home
During our visit, the owner led us to a site deep within the industrial park and pointed out an existing “antique courtyard”—a one-story concrete frame structure. He expressed his desire: “I want you to redesign this courtyard.” This clarified the project’s direction: to create a building that fits the modern industrial park environment yet retains the spatial essence of a traditional “quadrangle courtyard.” The design needed to balance office and living functions without altering the existing structural system. For us, the key was to remove the superficial “antique” facade and restore the genuine courtyard spirit.
▲ Rendering of the original courtyard design scheme
▲ Original structure of the building © Zhang Lei
Concept: Balancing Openness and Enclosure
Our initial challenge was to make a traditional courtyard building feel natural and appropriate within a modern industrial park setting. We aimed to preserve the original structure, building technology, and economic constraints, while discarding the outdated “antique” style and reorganizing the functional spaces.
▲ Design Manuscript
The traditional courtyard is typically enclosed, focusing inward on the landscape. This complements the closed forms of industrial buildings. Hence, the exterior windows are deliberately restrained, and the entrance is unified by a landscape wall. This approach allows the building to harmonize with the industrial park’s architecture while retaining visual interest.
▲ Closed exterior wall © Zhang Lei
▲ Restrained facade window openings © Zhang Lei
▲ Landscape Inner Courtyard © Zhang Lei
Before entering the courtyard, we wanted visitors to experience a dynamic contrast to the solid and imposing exterior facade. To achieve this, hollow partitions were placed on both sides of the gate, softening the heavy walls. These openings allow glimpses into the courtyard, revealing and concealing the interior landscape as one approaches, gradually unveiling the spatial sequence.
Order and Spatial Sequence
Traditional Yunnan residences follow fixed standards, such as Kunming’s “One Seal” with “Three Rooms, Four Ears, Inverted Eight Feet” or Dali’s “Four in Five Courtyard,” each with their own formal prototypes. Our design respects these traditional patterns and spatial axes. A ring of evenly spaced columns surrounds the courtyard, reinforcing the ceremonial center of the space, even if not in an ancient form. The circulation path is reinterpreted as a contemporary “Huima Corridor.”
▲ Building Plan and Order
Building on this traditional courtyard layout, we crafted a continuous spatial sequence: entrance corridor – entrance hall – courtyard – colonnade – small courtyard – staircase – second-floor inner corridor. Public functions such as reception, office, restaurant, and tea room are on the ground floor, emphasizing views of the inner and outer courtyards. The design carefully frames these views to avoid extending sightlines to the surrounding industrial buildings. Exterior courtyard walls limit the view, allowing the facade to borrow scenery without the need for many windows, thus permitting greater freedom for window openings on the first floor.
▲ Building Entrance © Zhang Lei
▲ Entrance Passage © Zhang Lei
▲ Entrance Hall © Zhang Lei
▲ Inner Courtyard Colonnade © Zhang Lei
▲ Small Courtyard © Zhang Lei
▲ Staircase © Zhang Lei
▲ Second Floor Inner Corridor © Zhang Lei
Space Sequence and Lighting
While traditional courtyard homes emphasize standardization, they adapt to their specific sites and often grow organically. Our design embraces a flexible interpretation of the “quadrangle courtyard,” rather than replicating it exactly. This flexibility allows us to carefully shape space and light along the circulation path. Light filters in various ways: through raised doors, grille panels in corridors, and hollow blocks in exterior walls. Visitors enter fully immersed in light that washes over the courtyard and corridors, culminating in the harmonious spatial sequence of the “New Courtyard.”
▲ Light and shadow in the lobby © Zhang Lei
▲ Light and shadow in the colonnade © Zhang Lei
▲ Light and shadow in the staircase © Zhang Lei
▲ Light and shadow in the corridor © Zhang Lei
▲ Light and Architecture © Zhang Lei
Conclusion
While initially conceived as a straightforward project to build a traditional quadrangle courtyard, the unique site conditions infused this project with deeper complexity and meaning. It became a focused design study: creating a functional mixed-use building based on traditional residential typologies within a non-residential industrial park, adhering to a clear budget. This building is one of the simplest and most intensive constructions in the industrial park, embodying the belief that every building deserves thoughtful design and care. Life and work thrive in better-designed spaces, even when construction investment is controlled.
Using simple construction techniques and common materials, we created a building that is far from ordinary. This project is not about crafting a mansion or using expensive materials to boost value, nor should it be viewed merely as a production facility. Beyond shaping physical surroundings, the project balances production and living needs, accommodating the owner’s busy work life while reflecting a poetic lifestyle aspiration. This carefully designed simple box is an abstract yet fitting “quadrangle courtyard” — our response to the brief: a minimalist container rich with meaning, embracing the complexities and contradictions of life.
▲ Night view © Zhang Lei
▲ Courtyard Night Scene © Zhang Lei
Project Drawings
▲ First Floor Building Plan
▲ Second Floor Building Plan
▲ Facade 1
▲ Facade 2
▲ Section 1-1
▲ Section 2-2
▲ Building Axis Measurement
Project Information
Architectural Design: Primitive Building
Area: 646.88 square meters
Project Year: 2023
Photographer: Zhang Lei
Lead Architects: Guo Jing, Dong Wen, Du Jie
Design Team: Guo Jing, Dong Wen, Du Jie, Yin Xiaowen, Zhu Wenyi, Zhang Lei, Cheng Chunyang, Zhao Shengchao, Yang Yuhang, Ma Lina, Li Jinglu, Jixing, Chen Tao, Zhao Yang, Wang Huihan
Construction Drawings: Yunnan Jicheng Landscape Design Co., Ltd
Landscape Design: Yunnan Jicheng Landscape Design Co., Ltd
Decoration Project Construction: Yunnan Yamuju Classical Decoration Co., Ltd
Location: Industrial Park, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province
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