discarded timber regenerates set of farmhouses hidden on mount emei

three timber houses stand in china’s mountainous countryside

Super Normal Design Office assembles a set of country houses in a tiny village at the bottom of Emei Mountain, reusing old materials. Surrounded by wild foliage, three timber buildings stand hidden behind huts, paddy fields, and untamed springs in Sichuan Province, China. Each building serves a distinct purpose while sharing the same easy-living character of the countryside. Respecting Chinese natural aesthetics the design concept ‘regenerates farmland buildings’ former appearance’ in selected reclaimed materials.

all images courtesy of Super Normal Design

new + old materiality composes the solitary farmhouses

Overlooking Emei’s peak to the west, and the rice field to the east, the solitary houses blend seamlessly with their surrounding landscape. The residence’s open layout interconnects indoor and outdoor zones in a natural unforced ambiance. Both the framework and the furniture in the interior and exterior spaces were carefully carved out with no excessive ornamentation. Concepts of ‘new’ + ‘old’ coexist in the construction forming balanced wooden volumes. Super Normal Design used previously discarded timber elements, locally sourced, following an approach of environmental protection and sustainability. All textures and finishes display earthy hues and tones in minimal design.

observation hallway runs around the main volume

open layout interconnects indoor and outdoor zones

locally sourced materials assemble the interior

carefully carved-out furniture with no excessive ornamentation

earthy hues and tones in minimal design

sunken lounge pit on the outdoor patio

the furniture is assembled from discarded timber, as well as new locally sourced materials

natural ambiance and rustic textures

project info:

name: Utopia at the Foot of Mount Emei
architecture: Super Normal Design | @supernormal_design

design director: Minwen WU

tech director: Jianxun YANG

PM: Mingmei ZHONG

lead designer: Xiang YANG

design team: Min LI – Jiao CHEN – Siying XIN – Liuchun WU

decoration design team: Ziyu LI – Ruiyu LIN – Xiaolu LIU

location: Emei Mountain, Sichuan Province, China

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom