Longyou County, Quzhou, Zhejiang, China
Facing the Qujiang River to the south and with the G60 Shanghai-Kunming Expressway to the north, Future Rural Life Center in Tuanshi Village by Yan Yang and the design team from y.ad studio have completed a urban development project for the People’s Government of Xiaonanhai Town, Longyou County.
Future Rural Life Center in Tuanshi Village is located in Tuanshi Village, Xiaonanhai Town, which belongs to Longyou County, the city of Quzhou.
Across the road from the site is the Qujiang River, providing a wide view of the surrounding scenery.
Located on the project’s site was originally an elementary school, then later the factory of an enterprise, with buildings in poor condition.
The surrounding area is mainly occupied by waterfront residences of the villagers, and at the front of the site, a memorial archway of chastity and filial piety that was built during the Qing Dynasty in the year 1790 and has been preserved.
The main challenge of the project was that the entire project, from design to construction, could take only one and a half months.
The hot weather during the process was another factor that caused great challenges.
Since the area of the project is nearly 5,000 square meters, it seemed to be and impossible task to complete all of the architecture, interior, landscape design, and construction under such demanding conditions.
However, the team accepted this challenge.
Taking on this tight-schedule project, the studio would have a chance to practice in restricted conditions.
The project is designed to be a public space serving the local villagers.
The owner and the operator wanted a design concept that would integrate diverse themes, including industry, culture, and humanism.
The original site was enclosed, with a large courtyard in the middle.
According to the site’s conditions, the architects combined renovation and new additions, to rearrange different building blocks for various functions.
Originally used as a factory, Building 1 provides a relatively large and wide-open space for industrial purposes.
It accommodates various functions, including property management services for the villagers, agricultural products exhibition, technology-assisted agriculture live-streaming, as well as a co-working office, a banquet hall, and a multi-functional conference room.
Building 2 has a linear plane and used to be a primary school’s teaching building.
Inheriting the previous spatial attributes, the redesigned building is still culture-related, with the Nankong Bookstore and Children’s Center, side by side with the Wellness Cabin for elderly care.
Looking out from Building 3, both the scenery of the river and the inner courtyard come into sight, making this the ideal place for a cafe and restaurant.
The more private Building 4 and Building 5 are used as a guesthouse and a youth hostel since they are less disturbed by the outside.
The architects also proposed to open the enclosed inner courtyard to the surrounding villagers as an activity square and marketplace.
The original enclosed space had already formed large and small gaps between the buildings.
After analyzing the site’s existing conditions, the architects decided to insert fragmented spaces, such as “corridor box”, “roof platform” and “inner courtyard” with different sizes, into the building cluster, to strengthen a sense of enclosure.
A more organic combination of spaces was also created.
Since the site’s surrounding buildings and environment are complicated, the architects coordinated the new construction with other buildings of different eras to visual effect.
Materials and colors were taken from the existing site conditions.
In terms of the relationship between old and new buildings, the design focused on the integration of tradition and modernity, as well as the coordination between newly built architecture and the surrounding natural and cultural environments.
Through creating an organic contrast, the design realizes the symbiosis among all elements on and near the site.
At the very beginning of the conception stage, the consideration of construction efficiency, feasibility, and aesthetics was prioritized, in order to achieve the best results in the most effective way.
During the demolition on site, it was discovered that the original building walls were too fragile to provide support, therefore most of the roof and walls were demolished or reinforced.
While adding new structural systems, the construction still tried to avoid contact with the existing old walls, so as to avoid the extension of construction time due to foundation reinforcement.
The newly built structural system presents a sense of rhythm through similar and repeated patterns.
The form of every single building and the organization of buildings is based on the consideration of the surrounding environment, functions, and interior space.
While creating various architectural forms and complex spatial morphology, the design endows the spaces with a sense of integrity and order.
At the same time, the spatial form is simplified, to guide visitors to experience the purity of space and perceive the diversity of the environment.
Project: Future Rural Life Center in Tuanshi Village
Architects: y.ad studio
Chief architect: Yan Yang
Design team: Shen Chuan, Wu Kejia, Zhao Siyuan, Yan Yu
Developer: People’s Government of Xiaonanhai Town, Longyou County
Constructor: Shanghai Deluo Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.
Photos: SCHRAN