URBANUS renovates three-story residence from the 80s in guangzhou, china

URBANUS has renovated a three-story residence originally built in 1985 in the mengsheng community of the haizhu district, a traditional and residential area in downtown guangzhou, china. located in a deep, narrow alley in shengmeng street, the house suffered from limited living space, lack of natural light, extreme proximity to neighboring properties, poor thermal performance, and structural dangers prior to the refurbishment. through the renovation, the 80 square meter building has acquired a distinctive character that continues to exist in harmony with its surroundings, while interiors have become brighter, more serene and livable.

images by zhang chao, meng yan, jiang qingzhou, zhang chaoxian

URBANUS started the renovation by reorganizing the living spaces of each 22 square meter floor plan, carving out interconnected rooms and making sure that they all received plenty of natural light and ventilation through a series of strategically placed windows and skylights. the living room and kitchen have been placed on the first floor, where much of the furniture has been built-in to save space and create more possibilities. to reinforce the overall structure and ease vertical circulation, the studio has replaced the original single-run steep staircase with a comfortable double one. a newly constructed transparent room and terrace on the top floor offer panoramic views of the city, and a flexible space for several activities.

on the exterior, the building is covered in maroon tiles that reference the original brickwork property, while the structure has been reinforced using the walls of the north and south sides, where more windows are placed. additionally, a steel slab has been placed inside and outside the wall for local reinforcement, while only the east side wall is internally reinforced. five steel columns and various beams are also implanted in corresponding positions to join the new structure, form a stable joint construction.

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project info:

name: serene residence in a bustling city: the renovation of a little house in a historical neighborhood of guangzhou
client: dragon TV
architect: URBANUS
location: the 18 shang meng sheng street of the guangzhou meng sheng community
design: april-july 2018
construction: july-october 2018
site area: 27.9 sqm
floor area: 96.4 sqm
building levels: 4 floors
building height: 12.7 m
building function: housing

principal architect: meng yan
project architect: jiang qingzhou
team: zhang chaoxian

(LDI) structure/ MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing): beijing century peak international architecture design co., ltd.; china building design consultants, shenzhen

photographers: zhang chao, meng yan, jiang qingzhou, zhang chaoxian