glass brick box ornaments the patio of an ancestral hall in china

LWM Architects restores YANLORD TANG SONG ancient hall

LWM Architects collaborate with Shanghai Yuejie Architectural Design Consulting for the planning and restoration of YANLORD·TANG SONG ancestral hall in Wuxi, China. The project follows a modern reservation approach inserting a new character and attitude into the historical structure. As an ancient monumental building, the hall holds an important place for social interaction and clan connection. The design draws from the composition of the ‘Ancestral Hall of the Zhu Family’, adopting the structure of official-hall purlin beams and generating a sense of elegance. Built during the Qing Dynasty, the ancestral hall unfolds its main functions around the theater, revealing the classic cornice stage, the arch, and the diagonal bracing. Delicate cravings of stones, woods, and bricks on the lintel, and the intricate patterns of flowers, and birds craved in the frontal pillars are kept intact after the restoration.

‘Despite urban development and life changes, homeland and family retain a deep bond for people in Jiangyin and call for physical carriers and spiritual essence’, comments architect Li Weimin. ‘The ancient ancestral hall represents modern life while conveying the Jiangyin spirit of embracing history and welcoming the future’.

all images by Moyun Visual

a glass box merges  old and new spatial axes

The two-entry building is transformed into a three-entry structure through courtyard splicing and introduces functional areas for negotiation and other purposes. The design team opens a new entry on the wall side and a new corridor into the three-entry functional areas reshaping the spatial axis. Through the modern entry, one can peek into parts of the ancient building, thus the notional and visual connection between past and present is enhanced.

The chamber leads to the patio corridor of the ancient building where a glass box serves as a sand display zone merging the old and new axes. ‘Pure presentation of the ancient building involves an attitude toward history. More importantly, because of the ‘new’, one can reflect on history and understand modern people’s expectations, ideas, and possibilities for the future’, shares Li Weimin.

transparent patio blurs boundaries between inside and out

‘Bihai Courtyard’, which gains its name from a poem by Xu Xiake, serves as a ‘passage of time in tranquility’. standing as an almost transparent lightweight space, the structure avoids any pillars or frames, except for the overhaul door. Integrating the outdoors into the interior, the boundaries disappear while greenery is introduced into the space. Planted walls, wine cellars, silk threads, and stone materials connect the building with the lush greenery of the surrounding peaks harmonically. Natural landscape merges with modern built space and integrates into it, thus providing a ‘material carrier’.

Direct lighting is adopted in important areas, while indirect lighting is reserved for the ceiling, and auxiliary lighting is used to highlight the characteristics of the space. In this way, the fine-tuned lighting contributes to a gentle atmosphere. An interplay of light and shadow adorns the space, accentuating the internal materials, such as raw stones and wood, sculpted by skilled craftsmen. The design aims to present a contemporary interpretation of the local culture in the Jiangnan region, ‘connecting historical images with emotional memories through warm gestures’.

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project info:

name: YANLORD TANG SONG
designer: LWM Architects + Shanghai Yuejie Architectural Design Consulting Co., Ltd

design team: Li Weimin, Qiu Deguang, and Wu Bin

location: Wuxi, China

photography: Xiao Bo and Fangfang Tian from Moyun Visual