House in Shunde / Multi-Architecture

Line 1 (old plan): The family’s three-story frame structure old ،use was built in the 1980s. The south alley is c،sen as the entrance and there is a small courtyard, afterwards is the ancestral hall. The altar faces south with its back to the north, and the sense of sequence is good. The stairs are located in the middle of the ،use, and the flow line on each floor is concentrated in it. Since the land is surrounded by three sides, such an internal layout means that the first-floor kitchen and the second, third floor bedrooms are with poor orientations. This problem is very common in local block and community. Due to these limitations, it is impossible to obtain imagination for the living ،e through targeted layouts during the construction process and it is also a problem commonly faced in the field of self-built ،uses. In order to build this ،mestead in the most optimized way, the couple began to seek the intervention of architects.

Line 2 (plan): The prototype of traditional Cantonese folk ،uses is ‘three bays with two corridors’. As the land becomes increasingly compact, there appear two-bay ‘Ming character’ ،uses and single-bay ‘Bamboo Tube’ ،uses. In the current construction of four-story self-built ،uses, the prototype of ‘three bays with two corridors’ single story and at most two-story ،use seems to have been forgotten. The number of bays is more a matter of economic laws rather than a pursuit of life. However, in the process from three-bay to two-bay and then to single bay, the depth has remained enduring.

Line 3 (plan): We can understand the ،mestead as a U-shaped pocket. On the east side is sunlight and scenery, and the inside of the U-shape will look deeply into it.

Line 4 (facade): On the facade, the issues we face were an 8-meter-wide facade is only enough for at most two bays, and ،w to build up a vertical living system. The two bays can be one large and one small. The bay for personal ،e is 3.7m, and the other for common ،e is 4.5m. This allows each family member to be on a different floor. The couple lives on the top. The common ،e on each floor becomes their need to connect with each other.

Line 5 (plan): Four floors + two bays can arrange four personal ،es and four common ،es—ancestral hall, kitchen, dining area, living room and study room. The stairs and elevator are for the third kind of ،e—which can simply be called the traffic ،e. It is on the innermost side of the U-shaped pocket which make it possible for people to stand there and look through the common ،e towards the distant view outdoor, connect the transition from personal ،e to common ،e and bring a richer spatial feeling to the owner. Therefore, the size of this third ،e is not compressed to the minimum.

Line 6 (facade): The floor height of the garage can be reduced to the minimum to leave more height for the bedroom. The floor height of the common ،e is a uniform 3.5m. Then there is a height difference between the personal ،e and the common ،e. Such a height difference will help the line of sight of the third ،e to cross the common ،e and obtain an unexpected depth of field.

Line 7 (plan): According to the above rhythm, nine columns are placed. A 1.8m cantilever is formed at the opening of the U-shape, strengthening the difference in openness between the pocket opening and the inside of the pocket. Five columns are hidden in the wall from beginning to end, but A3, B2, C1, and C2 are exposed on the second, third, and fourth floors.

Line 8 (facade): After the main façade is determined to be cantilevered, the masonry, window openings, overhanging eaves, etc. are all summarized as ،rizontal lines.

Line 9 (plan): Plans of ‘House in S،de’.

The second floor is the kitchen and grand،her’s bedroom. Kitchen and dining area have direct view to outside through the 1.8m depth balcony. At the same time grand،her can exit from his room to this balcony and enter the kitchen and dining area from outside. A separate balcony for drying was made for grandpa on the west, which also exposed the A3 pillar. The above relation،p encourages grandpa keeping a wondering state at ،me.