12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Image 2 of 3112-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Exterior Photography, Windows, Door, Brick, Facade12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Exterior Photography12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Beam12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - More Images+ 26

Weihai, China
  • Principal Architect: Wei He
  • Design Team: Long Chen, Jiaojie Zhang, Wanchen Sang, Qiang Li, Lijun Wu
  • Soft Outfit Counselor: Bing Bai
  • Cooperation Company: Beijing VAGE Institute of Architectural Design & Planning Co.Ltd
  • On Site Representative: Weidong Liu
  • City: Weihai
  • Country: China
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12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Exterior Photography, Windows
The back of the building abuts the cliff. Image © Weiqi Jin

Village status : Shallow mountain ancient village in the center of Weihai city
Wangjiatuan village is located in Zhangcun town, Huancui District, Weihai city, Shandong province. It's about a 30-minute drive from the city center. The village belongs to the scenic area of Likou mountain, which is one of the passes into the mountain. Its geographical location is convenient and important. The village is located in an east-west valley, North-south high, with streams running through it.The village form is long and narrow, the surrounding natural ecology is intact, the agricultural landscape resources are rich. There is a temple rebuilt in recent years on the east side of the village. The original structure of the village settlement is complete, with a large number of traditional dwellings built by rubble stone masonry, as well as objects carrying historical information such as Teama stone, gate head, and stone pier. It is a typical traditional village in shallow mountainous areas of Jiaodong region.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Beam
The "white box" treatment mode is more conducive to the layout and display of future exhibits. Image © Weiqi Jin

The village has a certain basis of tourism function. On weekends or in the flowering season, local residents of Weihai will come here for sightseeing. There are already some tourism supporting facilities in the village, but the scale is small, not systematic, and the space conditions are relatively poor, and the format of business is mainly farmhouse, lack of hierarchy and influence.

As an important part of the "beautiful village" project in Likoushan area, the planning defines Wangjiatuan village as a traditional Chinese culture and leisure experience village relying on the surrounding natural resources and the cultural resources of Guangfu temple. The future format of the village will focus on the parent-child leisure experience and traditional Chinese culture, with the main business themes of "Confucius six arts"and "gentlemen eight arts".

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Image 29 of 31
analysis diagram
12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Image 31 of 31
12-Bay Art School plan

The planning and construction work is divided into several parts:
1. Environment improvement and style improvement: based on the original texture of the village, the designer sorted out the village structure, improved and improved the village landscape (especially the water system), and sorted out and restored some typical dwellings in Jiaodong.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Closet, Shelving
The exhibition area and the reading area are separated by a double sloping roof section.. Image © Weiqi Jin

2. Reconstruction of buildings to create highlights: the designer selects a number of buildings in the village and transforms them according to the architectural characteristics to form a spatial node with the unique character of Wangjiatuan and the propagation force. Such as 12-Bay Art School, Mica-Bar, Chin House, etc. According to the overall positioning of the village, the designer endows space nodes with appropriate functions to serve local residents and foreign guests.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Exterior Photography, Windows
The "gap" between the rock and the old building forms a natural space. Image © Weiqi Jin

3. Introduction of social capital and diversified development: based on the work completed by the government in the early stage, the designer improves the scheme design of village infrastructure and nodes, and then introduces social capital to form benign interaction and complete the rural revitalization.

4. Cultural and creative follow-up and enrichment of services: in combination with the characteristics of Wangjiatuan village and the architectural transformation and future business form in this work, the design team designs a series of cultural and creative products to serve future tourism and leisure services.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Beam
A warm fireplace. Image © Weiqi Jin

12-Bay Art School is an important part of Wangjiatuan's overall work and also one of the carriers of the theme of "six arts".It is an old building renovation project, the original building is a typical Jiaodong residential form, tile roof, rubble outside wall.It was once used as a rural primary school classroom, but it was left unused before the renovation.Because there are twelve rooms, the locals call them “12 bay”.The original building is divided into three independent parts, namely six rooms, three rooms and three rooms;Twelve rooms line the street, forming the main street facade of the area and defining the main features of the village.The back of the building is adjacent to a cliff and forms a triangular space between it and the cliff.The cliff rock form is fantastic, natural, has the Chinese traditional esthetics artistic conception very much.On the east side of the building are the public toilets added in the village in recent years, with poor image and low utilization rate.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Exterior Photography, Windows, Door, Brick, Facade
The newly constructed door head contrasts with the old building,Reflect the different construction time. Image © Weiqi Jin

Because the architectural style and features are distinctive and well preserved, and the architectural quality is also good, the design team hopes to moderately transform the building on the basis of retaining the original architectural style, so as to make it adapt to the new use function and have the temperament of The Times.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Beam
front desk -- deliberately left traces of demolition. Image © Weiqi Jin

Functionally, the new building will be used as a rural beauty school. Three originally isolated Spaces were opened up, and the whole space was divided into three parts: classroom, exhibition area and reading area. The classrooms are relatively private, separated from the exhibition and reading areas by doors;The exhibition area and the reading area are public areas of the new building, open, transparent and yet layered, showing a welcoming attitude to the public while trying to retain the heavy residential features of the original building.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Image 26 of 31
The "screen wall" at the entrance not only properly combines the line of sight, but also provides support for the foreword and exhibition wall. Image © Weiqi Jin

The main entrance, which was redesigned and defined, was arranged in the exhibition area. The designer used black steel plates to construct a semi-open-air door head, which on the one hand gave the entrance a symbol, and on the other hand, the contrast between the old and new further indicated two independent construction ages.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Windows, Beam
The reading area has bookshelves and exhibition tables. Image © Weiqi Jin

The exhibition area is small and the space is relatively simple. The "white box" treatment mode is more conducive to the layout and display of future exhibits. The "screen wall" at the entrance not only properly combines the sight line, but also provides a support for the preface and exhibition wall.A hole is opened in the north wall of the exhibition hall to make the previously closed interior space face to face with the mountains and stones on the back of the building. Black steel plates are also used to echo the entrance on the south side, suggesting the penetration of new elements and the designer's intention to lead people to the mountains and stones behind the building.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Windows
Chin room. Image © Weiqi Jin

On one side of the exhibition area is the reading area, which is separated from the two areas by a double-sloped building with a cross-section of mute openings.The reading area is equipped with bookshelves and exhibition tables for books and cultural and creative products related to regional and sinology.The north wall is combined with the original Windows, and the designer combines the bookshelf with the seat, forming a fit relationship between people, buildings and objects.The roof of the original building is retained and partially exposed, combining new interior finishes to create a contrast between the old and the new, as well as light and shade.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Beam, Windows
© Weiqi Jin

The external environment of the building is also an important part of the renovation.On the side facing the street, the irregular land between the building and the street is organized. The designer uses the elevation to design a platform higher than the road, on which users can sit, rest, watch and talk, but not be disturbed by the traffic.The exterior space on the back of the building is a major discovery of this design. Originally it was a forgotten corner where villagers raised chickens.During the exploration, the designer found that the rocks behind the building are of great aesthetic value, and the "gap" between the rocks and the old building forms a natural interior space, which conforms to the artistic conception of Chinese traditional self-cultivation.Then the design made clever use of this "carry body", make the ground a little level off, laid anticorrosive wood;Rocks do not do any change, just show it here, as the "face wall" of the scene;A semi-open pavilion perpendicular to the original building is placed on the west side of the rear area, serving as the boundary of the area and providing a relatively comfortable space for subsequent use.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Exterior Photography
The semi-open pavilion on the west side perpendicular to the original building provides a comfortable space for the backyard terrace. Image © Weiqi Jin

The public toilet on the east side of the original building is one of the problems that must be solved in this design.Cannot tear down, but affect beautiful appearance again, how to do? Designer uses grid to cover public toilet rise.The scale and form of the grid construction come from the "twelve rooms" nearby.As a result, low humble public toilets into a continuation of the school of beauty.The treatment of black grille not only continues the scale of the main building next to it, but also continues the transformation of the whole project.The gap between the toilet and the beauty school is utilized. A staircase for only one person is installed here, and a small viewing platform that slightly highlights the building's facade is connected to it, providing a place for the public to climb the height, have a distant view and have a close look at the roof of the original building.Toilet roof also is used rise to become the roof platform that can stop temporarily, it formed the small interest outside the building together with stair, watchtower.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Image 2 of 31
Building at night. Image © Weiqi Jin

Chin House, with the exquisite cottage
Chin House is a hostel, which is renovated by two sets of courtyard with local characteristics. It is the first node with accommodation function in the Wangjiatuan space promotion plan.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Exterior Photography
Outside walls are hung with red ropes for blessing. Image © Weiqi Jin

The former courtyard of Chin House is located in the middle of Wangjiatuan village, close to the core node of the water system in the village. In its original state, it is two adjacent independent courtyards.The west courtyard has a long history and the main wall material is blue brick.It is two into the courtyard pattern, retaining the door head, screen wall and other typical traditional residential elements.The east courtyard was built in the 1970s as a single courtyard with a flat roof wing on the east side. The original appearance of the building was cement plastered wall, which was not in harmony with the appearance of ancient villages.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Exterior Photography, Windows, Stairs, Facade
Second floor recreation platform is added. Image © Weiqi Jin

The design team hopes to use the theme of "six arts · eight arts" in the overall village planning in the design.Therefore, "music" becomes the theme of this building, and the Chin is the embodiment of "music".

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Image 9 of 31
deliberately preserve the traces of the demolition of the interior. Image © Weiqi Jin

The space has been rezoned: the reception area, the piano room, and the five guest rooms with their own bathrooms have been transformed into an elegant cottage.On the premise of retaining the existing courtyard pattern, the design team rearranged the spatial streamline and added the entrance space of light steel structure in the northwest of the original house.Unlike the heavy brick facade, the new addition USES u-shaped glass as the facade material, which not only ensures the lighting of the internal space, but also has the appropriate privacy.Under the effect of internal light, the internal activities of the space are projected on the external facade, forming a blurred image, which has a dramatic contrast effect with the primitive original building.The east wing of the east courtyard is close to the core landscape of the village. The design team added a viewing platform on the roof of the east wing, which not only meets the user's needs for viewing and outdoor activities, but also increases the elevation change and interest of the space.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Arch, Beam
West court screen. Image © Weiqi Jin

The east gable of the west courtyard is one of the main facades of the building, which can be clearly seen from the village view.However, the original building housed the electricity meter boxes of eight nearby households, and the power lines were disorderly, which caused problems for the operation of the new home stay facility.At first, the design team hoped to remove the electric box, but due to the extensive influence of the project, it was impossible to implement. Finally, the design team decided to add a steel wire mesh cover on the outside of the electric box.However, after the implementation, it is found that the shielding effect is still not ideal, the density of the wire mesh is so low that the shielding effect is minimal.How to do?The design team must quickly make adjustments in limited circumstances.A "public art" project was proposed: designers bought large quantities of red ribbons and asked villagers to tie them to steel mesh covers.The red ribbon not only blocks out the negative landscape elements behind, but also has the meaning of blessing. As a result, this "better late than never" measure has become the most popular "scenic spot" in the village.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Bedroom, Bed
In the guestrooms, the old wooden boards, adobe walls and grille roof have laid the dominant tone of the space, shaping the atmosphere of the countryside, and the blue decorations of contrast are moderately invaded, giving the space vitality.. Image © Weiqi Jin

In terms of creating an indoor atmosphere, the designer also adjusted the interior space.After roofing repairs and adding a waterproof insulation treatment, the design team removed the original interior space's decorative ceiling, revealing the original building's distinctive triangular wooden trusses.As the height of the space increases, the comfort level and appearance are also improved.The designer deliberately left traces of demolition: rough yellow mud walls, grey cement floors, and recycled old wood and other elements, forming a slightly rough space base and casual farmhouse atmosphere.In contrast to these marks are fine woodwork, warm fireplaces and comfortable upholstery.The design team hopes to do this to satisfy the user's different visual and tactile experiences.However, it must be delicate, comfortable and soft within the touchable range to bring users a good experience.This is what Chin House hopes to convey to users.

12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio - Interior Photography, Living Room, Sofa, Table, Windows, Beam
The suspended ceiling of the secondary decoration of the interior space was removed, revealing the triangular wooden truss of the original building with great characteristics.. Image © Weiqi Jin

Since ancient times, a complete life is subject to harmony in itself, family, society, nature, philosophy and many other aspects.In this regard, the design team tried to maintain the original appearance of the original building in the renovation process, and respected the typical cultural characteristics of Jiaodong dwellings through the design method of "micro-renovation".The design team skillfully utilized the relationship between the natural environment and the original building to achieve the symbiosis between the building and the environment.As the holiday season approaches, travel has become a leisure activity for many families.The designer hopes that this transformation can bring an unforgettable journey of Chinese culture to the public, where people can let their minds rest between mountains and rivers and forget themselves between literature and music.

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Project location

Address:Wangjaituan Town, Weihai , Shandong Province, China

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "12-Bay Art School & Chin House / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio" 02 Mar 2019. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/910504/12-bay-art-school-and-chin-house-3andwich-design-he-wei-studio> ISSN 0719-8884

classroom. Image © Weiqi Jin

威海里口山下的拾贰间美学堂与琴舍 / 三文建筑/何崴工作室

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