studio 10 designed the east side of qinchang village town hall in china

a space with business opportunities for villagers

china based studio 10 designed the qinchang village town hall, located directly to the east of the qinchang village CPC community center in xiuwu county, jiaozuo, henan province, china. while phase I on the west side accommodates mostly non-profit community services programs and ceremonial spaces, the east side focuses on the introduction of small local businesses as well as cultural and recreational programs, including a store selling local farm produce and handicrafts souvenirs, a small café, a restaurant, a gallery as well as a children’s library. the space here is both a medium and a ‘generator’ to create potential employment and start-up business opportunities for the villagers, exploring an ‘innovative and sustainable’ model of the economic and cultural revitalization of the rural communities.

aerial view

all images by chao zhang

intimate, earthly, and effortless ambiance

the layout on the east side has adopted the courtyard-centered configuration strategy from the west. however, opposite to the symmetrical and ceremonial layout of the west plot, studio 10 aimed for a more intimate, earthly, and effortless ambiance on the east side. openings in-between all of the individual buildings allow villagers to access or pass through the site conveniently. the central multi-functional open space also provides villagers of all ages with a place for social and recreational activities, which complements, balances, and enriches the tranquil, ceremonial ambiance of the west courtyard.

the single-story restaurant building of the largest massing is located at the southeast corner of the campus, remaining closest to the village main street. the two-story building on the east side has a small gallery that opens up to both the street side and the courtyard, a library/reading room where children can scan QR code through the smart system to borrow books, as well as a café where tourists/villagers can take a break or hang out.

northeast corner view

the bar-shaped single-story building on the north is a store for showcasing and selling local farm produce as well as handicrafts made by villagers, while directly at the south façade of the building and facing the courtyard, a covered arched porch with benches can serve both as a spectator seating area for basketball games as well as be transformed into a natural stage backdrop for large-scale outdoor public events held in the courtyard.

when surveying in xiuwu, studio 10 found that all public basketball courts, regardless of their conditions, were highly appealing to villagers. therefore, the designers suggested to the client to add the basketball court in the courtyard at an early stage of design. the benches in the arched porch, as well as the rooftops of the western archway and eastern gallery building, naturally form spectator areas, providing vantage points for villagers to watch basketball games.

entrances to the courtyard between buildings

the building adopts cast-in-place concrete structure. corresponding to the CPC community center on the west side, the qinchang village town hall has also played with the geometry and motif of arches, which is a typical component in the local traditional semi-underground dwellings. based on the geometric prototype and modules previously set up on the west side, arches have been further abstracted and evolved from planar ones into vaults, catering to various spatial and programmatic needs of the town hall.

multifunctional courtyard as outdoor gathering, social and event venue

basketball court with custom-designed pattern

two-story gallery with library,cafe at the east side

gallery space

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store space

restaurant space

project info:

name: the qinchang village town hall
designer: studio 10

location: xiuwu county, jiaozuo, henan province, china

photography: chao zhang

area: 892 sqm

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edited by: yasmina karam | designboom