Why not tree in the land of nothing, the wilderness of the wide
- Zhuangzi · Getaway
On the misty Jiangnan Plain, a story of deconstruction and reconstruction, memory and persistence was staged. The starting point of everything is an old mansion that carries the client's memories and an encounter in space and time.
inspiration
Use dark green as a memory lead
This 850-square-meter three-story building is located in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, and is the old rural residence of the owner's father. The owner's father was born in the 60s and grew up here. Due to the old building, the owner hoped that the architect Deng Qing could completely renovate it. After the reconstruction, it will still be the long-term residence of the owner's father, and it will also be the second residence of the owner's family in their spare time.
△ Project video
△ Architectural anatomy drawing
"The living situation of the three generations in the same house and the memory carried by the old house have become the clues of the architect's thoughts, and a dark green stool placed in the courtyard has become a symbol of the memory of the old house."
△ Generation, the designer's second interpretation of the chair
The dark green stool has accompanied the owner since childhood, and the architect took the dark green color and applied it to the entrance wall, extending this color all the way to the master bedroom on the third floor.
On the one hand, it is a tribute to the houses of the past, which means that even if the new home is created, the precious breath of life of the past is still there. On the other hand, it also tries to fully deconstruct and translate the owner's original living state, fully renovate the interior space, and explore different forms of application of the same element in the space.
"The reappearance of dark green in architecture is in the form of walls, and the color in memory now serves as an indispensable part of supporting the beams, expressing the 'locality' of the design through the construction dimension. Space makes people leave the mark of existence, and because of this imprint, it is remembered to sublimate into a place of memory and belonging, but when it will be completely overturned and reshaped, where will those former imprints go? Should the new space be used as a new beginning or a vehicle for memories? Therefore, the exploration of 'in-site' is particularly important, and the designer should not only redesign a residence that caters to the needs of modern life, but also explore various connections, so that the final design has its own unique soul", explains designer Deng Qing.
Functional structure
Focus & Continuation
In the living space, the dark green curtain wall is located in the center, forming a visual focal point. Around this wall are the living room, dining room, kitchen, stairwell, gymnasium, and elevator room for the elderly to go up and down the stairs. The wallpaper in the dining room is from Cole &Son, and the theme of trees and bushes is used to create a feeling of being surrounded.
The stairwell is located directly behind the central curtain wall, leading straight from the ground floor to the roof, and the light is cast on the spiral staircase through the vertical floor-to-ceiling windows of the stairwell, creating a variety of shadows.
The dark red staircase connects the entire architectural space like a ribbon, and is a symbol of "continuity". Walking up the stairs, through the small openings on the left and right walls, you can see the narrative that is happening in the kitchen and gym spaces.
The bathrooms also feature a low-saturation color palette and shutters that allow for plenty of airiness and privacy. The toilets in the children's room are complemented by lake green tiles, which in a sense is also a continuation of the owner's childhood memories and hopes to create a good environment for the next generation.
The residential bedrooms are located on the second and third floors, and the low-saturation tones create a calming and cosy mood space. The rooms have a great view and plenty of sunlight. The background behind the bed in the master bedroom is the old texture wallpaper of Wall&decò, interspersed with lake green lines, as if it is a wall left over from an old building, which once again prompts the story line of the space.
life
Minimalism and daylight of rural living
△ The design of the new generation of residential space can be traced, and light and rain are the coat of the building as a whole
With straight white lines on the outside and low-saturation color palettes and simple geometric spaces on the inside, the overall character of this country house is modern and minimalist, and the immersion in the rural environment of southern China is both prominent and harmonious.
Considering the scale of contemporary architecture, the architect designed a two-storey south-facing floor-to-ceiling window for the living room. The large natural area allows the space on the first floor to be transparent and bright, with unobstructed views from the courtyard through the floor-to-ceiling windows, where the skylight and weather changes become part of the indoor residence, the boundaries between indoor and outdoor are blurred, and the essence of rural life is invisibly preserved. "The whole villa space is like a theater of interpretation, the owner of life, and the change of every scene is moving and a better future!"
Structural plan analysis diagram
Project Name: Renovation of old houses
Project Address: Wuxi, China
Design company|12-phase architectural space design
Design content|architecture / garden / interior
Design Director|Deng Qing
Design Team|Zhou Zhongxi, Shi Yunan, Wang Yuan, Guo Liang, Wu Ying, Wu Kai
软装执行｜瑞邸Living
主要品牌｜Poliform、Flos、Wall&decò
Design area: 850㎡
Year of design|2020
Year of Completion|2022
Spatial Photography|Xu Yiwen
Spatial video|Smoke clouds