micro-yuan'er by standardarchitecture renews beijing hutong courtyard

micro-yuan’er by standardarchitecture renews beijing hutong courtyard
image © designboom

‘micro-yuan’er’ is a project by zhang ke’s beijing-based standardarchitecture, which revitalizes a historic hutong courtyard for BJDW beijing design week 2014. the inserted structure, which contains a miniature art space and library, is part of the organic re-development taking place around the old dashilar area southwest of the city’s tiananmen square. the central volume wraps itself around an existing tree, while a small staircase leads to a treehouse-type platform where it is possible to look out over the surrounding rooftops.

hutongs, a type of narrow street formed by surrounding courtyard residences, were once a common part of beijing, but since the middle of the 20th century they have decreased dramatically as historic neighborhoods are torn down to be replaced with new roads and highrise buildings. the project, which is supported by camerich, is part of a broader initiative to craft and utilize small-scale projects within the limitations of beijing’s historic urban fabric.

see designboom‘s coverage of standardarchitecture’s ‘micro hutong’ – a project presented at last year’s BJDW – here.

view from the top of ‘micro-yuan’er’ looking onto the courtyard
image © designboom

interior view of ‘micro-yuan’er’ by standardarchitecture
image © designboom

the structure under construction in a typical hutong courtyard in beijing
image © designboom

concept model on display in the grand bazar (quan ye chang) in dashilar
image © designboom

model indicating the location of the structure at the heart of the historic courtyard
image courtesy of beijing design week / standardarchitecture

sectional model presenting the intimate miniature art space
image courtesy of beijing design week / standardarchitecture

rendering highlighting how the design wraps around the centrally positioned tree
image courtesy of beijing design week / standardarchitecture

project info:

organizers: standardarchitecture, camerich
designers: zhang ke, zhang mingming, ao ikegami, huang tanyu, fang shujun
dates: september 26th – october 3rd, 2014
address: cha’er 8#, beijing