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Architects: DL Atelier
- Area: 314 m²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Yumeng Zhu, Xi Youji Studio
B&B and Games - At the end of 2020, near the Great Wall at Shuiguan in Huairou, Beijing, we designed three projects for Xiaoxi B&B simultaneously, perhaps it is more appropriate to call them rural hotels than B&Bs. I have designed and run such hotels before, and I would love to have a unique living experience of "breaking away from daily life" and a lifestyle of "here and now". Architecture, as a carrier of this conception, is not a "home building" in the first place, for it holds little real life and memory of the owner, instead, it resembles a "theme park" with the characteristics above, a reciprocating game between reality and fantasy. Since it is a game, there must be rules. The owner’s requirements are simple: to keep the characters of the three existing houses. And we will make up the rules.
The Great Wall and the Danger - The site is unique with the Great Wall from the Ming Dynasty close at hand. The strong characteristics have become an attraction that cannot be ignored, which makes me more or less reluctant. My habit is to look for the emotional relationship between things and people. Yet how is the Great Wall touching? Through its superhuman existence. It does not originate from human’s willing to talk to God like the Egyptian pyramids or the Nasca Lines. The Great Wall comes from "danger". Out of the fear of "danger", we chose the most "dangerous" mountain. This energy and courage are powerful enough to change something as great as the earth, even though we have known it from an early age, still fantasize us about this expected surprise when we face it. Therefore, creating a little "danger" provocation in the construction of settling-down architecture makes me interested. Will it bring some different stimulation and strength? I don't know, but I'm curious. So we set the game as three small attempts about "danger".
Act Ⅲ: 《Chaos is a ladder》- Under the Great Wall - Erdaoguan Fortress is the last chapter of the game. Historically, this site served as the stronghold for the capital. Huanghuacheng is known as the "impregnable". It was the first defense fortress, and Erdaoguan is its extension. Today, the walls are dilapidated, and remnants of bricks are scattered all over the residence. Only two stone foundations are still hidden under the weeds, inadvertently revealing remnants of the past. In recent years, the locals have constructed lots of new houses. Not only the fortresses, but even the Great Wall is gradually disappearing. In 2013, to boost the tourism industry, the natives gathered old bricks and restored a fortification on the existing platform. As a result, it became the landmark building of Erdaoguan. The location of the project is here. With the explosive emergence of dozens of large and small B＆Bs, the appearance of the village has also undergone tremendous changes. For example, when we were still struggling with how to shrink the cornice by another centimeter, our neighbor's building had risen from the ground. The local residents are very willing to witness and follow this phenomenon. Perhaps the Great Wall has long been accustomed to it. 600 years have passed, and the Great Wall still remains true to its original intention, while implicitly showcasing the tremendous power that has been transformed from danger. It demonstrates the resolute will to cross mountains and rivers.
Chaotic antennas - At the project site, the antennas, like the Great Wall, are close at hand and impossible to ignore. Their disordered arrangement prompted us to steer clear of them, or at the very least, endeavor to avert our gaze. However, I came to the realization that when they appeared at the same time as the Great Wall, despite the builders' primary focus not being on form, the antennas, and the Great Wall seem to have the same aesthetic form： the tension brought by the bravery to soar over whatever lies beneath. They also exhibit a contrasting relationship. The Great Wall was built on the most difficult mountain ridges to construct, while the antennas were constructed on the easiest roadside to implement. The Great Wall is erected with the objective of obstructing, whereas antennas are built to establish connections. Regrettably, connection and obstruction are two sides of the coin that occur simultaneously. The Great Wall, although appearing to serve as a connection, was constructed as a means of prevention. The network world brought by antennas is even more so. While the internet has enabled global connectivity, it has also trapped us in its web. Virtual connections have severed real-life relationships, causing individuals to become trapped within their own constructed cocoons of information. The sight of busy couriers on the streets may indicate the dangers of our era.
In imitation of connections - The current popular B＆B industry also has a connection and division between authentic experiences and Internet celebrity check-ins. The Great Wall serves as an Internet celebrity check-in spot, with the project site located next to it. Given this inescapable situation, it would be wiser to embrace rather than shun it. Therefore, we imitated the form of forced connection between the Great Wall and the antennas and created a third kind of thing that seemed to be connected but actually separated at the project site. This is a footbridge that stands above the existing buildings. It rises and falls, twists and turns, attaching to or spanning across buildings.
Footbridge, The Great Wall, Antennas - In accordance with the regulations of the game, we endeavored to maintain the original structure to the greatest extent possible, and we demolished the shed that blocked the center of the courtyard. After dredging, the elongated courtyard gradually descends from west to east in steps. The restaurant on the street side is half hidden in the street according to the terrain, allowing for a more direct view of the Great Wall from within the courtyard, as well as creating visual connections between the inside and outside of this courtyard. The original building is low, preserving the initial wooden framework, and the lifted roof on the southern side brings in natural light and shadows from the surrounding trees. Despite the relatively small proportions of the bedroom, it is still quite comfortable.
A footbridge that spans 30 meters in length is situated above the buildings and courtyard. One side faces the Great Wall on the mountain ridge, and the other side connects to the remains of a huge city pass. While looking down along the bridge and stone foundation of the Great Wall, the distant mountains and fortification appear again, which appear to be within reach this time. However, upon closer observation, the Great Wall outside the triangular gap was cut off by a village road. It is uncertain whether a wall cave originally existed in this area or if residents broke through the wall to create a path. As a result, the footbridge is also broken and overgrown with weeds, making it appear as if one can easily stroll through it. But it is this gap that unintentionally creates the scenery of the footbridge and the Great Wall merging together in the photos taken by internet celebrities.
The connection between illusions and the disconnection from reality are also prominently showcased in this setting. The once-existing fortress along the ancient road has been replaced by a translucent triangular wooden structure. The remaining walls by the roadside are combined with the vacant land reserved behind, and harrier eagles flying in the sky. The simple living scenes of indigenous people have seemingly become the ideal backdrop for internet celebrities’ photographs. The huge windows on both sides of the sunken restaurant reveal the architect’s desire to connect indoor and outdoor public spaces. However, this has become a disguise between tourists and residents because they do not share the same experiences. Only the peasant woman who rests at sunset every day adds a touch of realism to this scene.
In contrast to the hush of the Great Wall, the antennas are significantly more conspicuous. They erected tall poles as targets and emitted them in all directions towards the vacant land left behind in the city pass. The Great Wall and buildings were all entangled in them. The footbridge calmly accepts this fierce attack, opting not to avoid it but rather to dance with it, and interact with the antennas in parallel or face-to-face. It is not only a physical connection but also a bridge that can communicate between tourists and residents. It is a mutual reflection between virtual lifestyles and real-life scenes. Just like the messy and ubiquitous antennas that often feature in the popular check-in photos of Internet celebrities, ignoring or erasing them, is it ultimately a choice question or an additional question of image processing skills?
Where is the road? When confronted with the past, refrain from discussing the future. At present, can this seemingly infinitely connected era withstand the cost of reality being severed? Perhaps the answer can be found on social media platforms such as TikTok or RED.
