officeproject converts beijing factory building into artist's home and studio space

chinese architecture firm officeproject has completed a conversion of an old factory building in beijing’s huairou district into an artist’s home and studio space. called the ‘hall within the cloud’, the project was commissioned by doctor xu hongquan, a painter, author, calligrapher and literary reviewer.

the project converted an old factory building in beijing’s huairou district into an artist’s home and studio space
all images by sun haiting

through initial conversations with the artist, officeproject set out the requirements for the new space: a studio, tearoom, bedroom, study and gallery. the building’s triangular steel roof truss structure had been well maintained, with the original sloped factory roof in good condition. at a height of six meters, the building’s generous ceilings lent an air of space and buoyancy to the building. as the artist was trained in both eastern and western traditions, projectstudio outlined the additional need for an oil painting room as well as a traditional chinese painting room. ‘in this unique mission requirement, we find our entry point’, explain the studio, ‘perspective: the biggest difference between eastern and western art.’

the building’s triangular steel truss structure had been well maintained, with the original factory roof in good condition

letting this theme of ‘perspective’ guide their design, the studio suggested a nested plan whereby living quarters in the centre would give way to reception and exhibition spaces moving outwards and finally to the artist’s studio on the perimeter. each progressive layer would be accessed from the corner of its adjoining room, with each space visible from the room that preceded it, effectively eliminating the need for corridors. the multiple ‘screens’, or viewpoints created by the door frames generate a confusion between 2D and 3D space.

the studio suggested a nested plan, eliminating the need for corridors in a traditional sense

after the artist requested that the bedroom be moved to the second floor, officeproject were forced to alter their plans and instead inserted an additional volume into the traditional factory roof. keen to retain their original concept, this addition continues to engage with their theme of perspective, and keeps interference with the original structure to a minimum through use of a segmented folding roof form. to ensure construction quality, the studio prepared a 1:1 scale version of the roof addition before beginning the extension. ‘our design is like a stage set, or like the ‘white space’ of traditional ink painting techniques, ensuring the chinese traditional culture elements are in full display here.’ 

an opening in the corner of each room gives way to a subsequent space and program

sunlight enters the space through generous glass panelling that follows the slope of the roof

to ensure construction quality, the studio prepared a 1:1 scale version of the roof addition before adding the extension

the bedroom addition continues to engage with the studio’s theme of multiple perspectives

the additions keep interference with the original structure to a minimum through a segmented folding roof form

the multiple perspectives and scenes offered by the design is intended to create a confusion between 2D and 3D space

the plan is comprised of a studio, tearoom, bedroom, study and gallery

project info:

location: huairou district, beijing, china
site area: 1200 m2
building area: 800 m2
design period: 2016.4-2016.6
construction period: 2016.6-2016.11
client: xu hongquan
design company: office project 
chief designers: chang ke, li wenhan
design team: zhang hao, zhao jianwei, xie dongfang, cui lan
photographer: sun haiting

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: peter corboy | designboom