The project located on the mountainside in Qifeng Village，in 245㎡. The two-storied commune’s house was once a public place for Village’s production brigade. Its wooden structure is in good preservation which could serve the villagers’ modern life again after appropriate renovation.
For visitors from outside, it would be a museum showcasing the history and features of Qifeng Village. For local residents, it would be a public lounge where they can gather and chat over a cup of tea. Our renovation strategies were with the following principles.
1. Focus on structural reinforcement and the restoration of exterior walls and the roof. We transformed some space into a double-height one to improve natrual lighting & ventilation.
2. Do “subtraction” to the original space for more diversified functionality and higher efficiency. Some floor slab of the 2nd floor were removed to form an interior double-height “street”, where the staircase were relocated. Which made it possible to separately operate the exhibition hall on the 1st floor and the villagers’ lounge on the 2nd floor, presenting a space of “double operation units and multi functions”.
3. Use local materials and focus on recycling and processing. From black tiles on the roof to the simple wooden floor on the 2nd floor, durable materials could be found and re-used.
The commune’s house that we finally presented was a result of cooperation by the villagers, local craftsmen and the architects. For our design team, this project was a most thorough practice of our “buildingless” approach.