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Architects: Wonder Architects
- Area: 200 m²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:Haiting Sun, Yumeng Zhu
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Architectural Design: Qipeng Zhu, Yingzi Yuan, Yeling Yang, Tailin Jin, Yanru Liu
Text description provided by the architects. A Courtyard. It was still 2018 then. Looking back now, it feels like a long time has passed. I remember at the beginning of that year, a game called "Travel Frog" was all the rage. In the summer, Russia hosted the World Cup. The capital's airports were crowded, and it seemed as if Beijing's property prices would keep soaring indefinitely. It was during that winter when YiXi's friends approached me. They expressed a desire to create a completely new space for YiXi. YiXi, a renowned cultural institution in China, was in the midst of its most dynamic phase at the time. Every few weeks, a popular YiXi talk would go viral among social circles. Having been a speaker myself, receiving a design invitation from YiXi was indeed an honor. However, it also brought a certain level of anxiety, akin to renovating a friend's house - both exciting and somewhat daunting. YiXi's original office was located in a high-end apartment building, occupying a spacious flat with four bedrooms. Although the atmosphere was cozy, it felt somewhat like a playing house, with numerous issues in space partitioning and item storage. Consequently, they decided to move to a new location near the East Third Ring Road in Beijing.
The new office area was situated in a 1960s factory building, featuring a brick and wood structure and spanning 200 square meters. It had been divided into many small compartments, which were not particularly appealing at first glance. When asked about their vision for the renovation, they expressed a desire for a courtyard. Most Beijingers harbor a dream about having a courtyard, but how to create one inside a building? During that period, people were fascinated with things that were grounded and real. Wen's paintings depicted a chaotic blend of deities, Xu Teng popularized structures resembling illegal buildings like "Grandma's Temple," He Zhishen led a group of university students to set up an art gallery in a vegetable market, and even restaurants had to emulate the style of "Wenheyou" to be successful. Looking at a few reference images provided by YiXi, it seemed as though working in a space like Kowloon Walled City was the key to happiness.
We, too, were fond of this vibe. However, the richness of visual elements should be the result of actual usage, not just a superficial backdrop. Within the relatively limited means of construction, portraying "confusion" required a more logical approach than the confusion itself. YiXi's enthusiasm for a "courtyard" was actually an attempt to avoid the "definiteness" of the place itself. The "courtyard" they desired was not a traditional office space, but rather an area that could be continuously modified and nurtured. Therefore, we removed the internal partitions of the old factory, revealing the original red brick walls and wooden trusses. The expansive wilderness created by the sprawling industrial remains was set to become the sky and nature that the office inhabitants would encounter. We calculated the storage needs for YiXi's daily operations, transforming them into several large pieces of furniture. These large pieces were then used to construct a house within the old factory. Thus, a "courtyard" was born alongside the "house."
A Wall. The furniture wall is a commonly used technique in interior design. As a divider, it delineates spaces, and as storage, it serves spaces on both sides simultaneously. Its very use imbues it with greater significance. During the design process, we discovered the narrative potential of this wall. The editors at YiXi are a unique group, and their figures and thoughts occasionally appear in the interstices of images and texts. They have shaped the "Utopian" walls and buildings of this space, and now, they work within this large room, intriguing to visitors who may chance upon them. This reminded us of the "Guests" installation at the 2009 Venice Biennale's Polish Pavilion, originally intended to represent the semi-invisible existence of immigrants in European society. We found it to be a rather dignified way of peeking. Lacking detail, somewhat elusive, filled with mystery, yet a tangible presence.
Parts of the furniture wall hole use materials that allow for blurred visibility. When the hall quiets down, the silhouettes of people in the work area become an intriguing visual. They become the "others" visible to external visitors, also representing another kind of real existence. Both parties, separated by this barrier, independently exist and interact in two parallel realities, establishing a subtle connection between individuals.
A Stage. The editors at YiXi told us they wished to record programs in their own space. They needed a stage. Creating an interesting indoor stage is a skill well-honed by Beijing residents, already adept at it by the 18th century. Apart from the stage, most installations in the courtyard can be moved and recombined, creating more possibilities for the use of space. Daydreams. We intentionally minimized the distinctiveness and expression of the space itself, knowing that more intriguing events would spontaneously unfold within it. It's been five years since "YiXi Courtyard" was completed, yet unfortunately, our most recent photos only go up to 2020. Surely, many more interesting events have occurred beyond our memory. As Borges said: Time forever branches into countless futures.
The lifespan of a space is finite; it will deteriorate and decay, and eventually, time will defeat it completely. But in a corner of the mind, a lit gateway to the past persists. Pushing it open, the interior remains as lively and splendid as ever, surrounded by familiar faces. We converse and laugh, just as in the past. Fondly remember it.
