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Architects: Devolution
- Area: 1800 m²
- Year: 2023
Text description provided by the architects. This project is a three-entrance house along the street, located at No. 129-131 Cangqian Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou. The original building was built by Zheng Zeming, the olive king of Fuzhou in the late Guangxu period(1875–1908) of the Qing Dynasty, the first Fuzhou native to develop a variety of olive products, and known as the "Olive Five". Thus it is also named "The Olive Five House”.
Based on the memories of descendants of the Zheng family and the research on the architectural form, the building was constructed during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty and was completed later than the year 1900. Its functions and ownership rights were continuously divided and transferred during and after Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and socialist transformation of private housing in the 1950s, and the construction of Cangqian New Village in the special historical period of the 1970s. Decade by decade, it has witnessed the rise and fall of a family, a neighborhood, and even an era, and was withering away due to lack of maintenance. Thanks to the comprehensive renovation for Yantai Mountain area in recent years, its appearance has been revealed again.
Now its new client is a food brand that also originated in Fuzhou - "XUN". Despite the fact that tremendous changes have occurred over the past century in the city’s food industry and processing technologies, and people’s eating habits and lifestyles, there is a subtle connection between “The Olive Five House" and this baking brand which focuses on sourdough fermentation and respects natural flavors. Our design took on the mission of establishing the connection between the past and the present. Rather than re-building a consumption scene that conforms to modern aesthetics, our working consensus was to fully understand it, repair and restore it to its best condition, and then incorporate functional requirements, current materials, craftsmanship and design language. The brand gave full support on this.
When its skin was peeled off little by little, revealing the texture shared by the building and time, we also received positive feedback. We spent more effort on finding the original craftsmanship to repair it, and using modern technology to protect its authentic calmness and warmth, or using some new materials to help it exude its own temperament. Neither creaky wooden stairs nor walls without any straight lines were overcorrected. Looseness, both leisurely and not-so-natural, can also be seen as part of the building. Thin wires are introduced into the looseness to suppress it.
The brand told us later that the meaning of "XUN" is awe and respect. It is a mutual process, not domestication. This coincides with the design motivation. The other consensus we had was that we preferred it to be sufficiently open than a closed consumption space. You can find that the first entrance of this three-entrance house is fully exposed to the street. The entrance releases its progressive design, and large display windows bring people on the street in easily. Only a small number of products are displayed at the first entrance. People can walk into this century-old house to hang out, rest, and watch the traditional architectural structure. It is more like a space with public functions than a shop. However this "luxury" use of space can also stimulate curiosity for further exploration.
The space between the first and second floor and the one between the first and second entrance are connected by patios, sliding windows and connecting corridors. The originally small and closed wooden shophouse is opened. Wide window sills have become seating areas. The excessive height difference between the shophouse and the yard is absorbed by stepped seats. The entire outdoor area is connected, so people can sit down wherever they want. The big yard, which was originally used to dry olives, is now a rough natural landscape. We piled rocks, scattered gravel and sowed grass seeds. The next time when we were there, lush plants had emerged from the gravel, hiding a path among them. We want it to be different from chic gardens and exquisitely carved landscapes.
In terms of the use of furniture, outdoor furniture, like facade finishing, presents a certain sense of order. The indoor furniture is a mix of modern designer furniture, traditional courtyard stone tables, iron tables handmade by craftsmen and mid-century modern furniture from the 1970s and 1980s or European chairs with a sense of age. The warm and moist bricks, wood, ash walls and the history of this building are enough to accommodate a combination of different periods and styles. We are happy to see that this once glorious "The Olive Five House” has not been domesticated into a new, bounded consumption space. It continues its own temperature. After being wiped and polished, it reveals its original luster, and is reconnected with the current life.
