a Lot of Empathy for Local Material and Culture

The tall and raised bamboo arcade of this village lounge has turned an old and ruined courtyard into a multi-use public podium that provides a breathing space to the community, both literally and metaphorically, while the structure accommodates itself amidst the surroundings. With a lot of empathy for local material and culture, the designers made minimum intervention to create a common platform for both visitors and villagers, which has combined the idea of sustainability and participation with conservation.

The Village Lounge in Shangcun is a renovation project that converted a ruined courtyard into a public space, providing a leisure and multi-use space for both local residents and tourists. The project has been marked by the government as an exercisable and regional approach as well as a starting point of the preservation and sustainable development of this tradi- tional village. The site is located at the meeting point of several village paths.

The design solution is grounded on the principal of minimal intervention and adopts a layout of multiple units using a common local material – bamboo – to construct 6 large -sheltered spaces. 3 in a row and 2 in a column, the six 5m x 5m spaces form 3 sets of bamboo canopies with black awnings, providing a shared space for hosting the activities of the village locals and visitors. Old black bricks, black tiles, stone and usable timber were collected from the site to form landscape elements based on the original layout of the courtyard, such as maintaining the old ‘MaTau’ walls, and the construction of the stone retaining walls with traditional techniques.

Local craftsmen also shared their ideas about the details, planting and decorations. The bamboo canopies are built with modern architectural techniques by professional bamboo craftsmen, in order to ensure the durability of the bamboo components, while the other parts of the lounge and landscape were completely constructed by the villagers themselves.

Project Information

Project Name: Village Lounge of Shangcun

Location: China

Architect: Yehao Song