Living on top | Hui Long Guan, Beijing
Location: Hui Long Guan, Beijing, China Client: Beijing Zhuzong Vanke Development Co Ltd Team: Bart Reuser, Marijn Schenk, Michel Schreinemachers, John van de Water, Luuc Sonke, Maja Popovic Floor area / size: 26.000 m2 Special thanks to: NAi Status: Architectural Design
Living on top is part of the master plan in Hui Long Guan, Beijing. It provides affordable housing for the ‘Ants Tribe’ and was developed together with four other Dutch offices and five Chinese offices. The project was originally initiated by the NAi in cooperation with Vanke in the VANKE-NAI Matchmaking Program.
There lays big challenges in an apartment building containing units that vary from 14 to 21m2 combined with a rather thin plot to build on. This apartment block is based on a dense layout of the units with a double loaded corridor. By taking some out on the upper floors the corridor opens up and creates (communal) space. This can be used to bring more green in to the project and facilitate social interaction. Although the apartments are rather minimal, they become small urban villas on top of the building. To emphasize on this the upper floors are built up out of brick standing on its own feet. The apartments are orientated with respect the privacy of each individual and the opposite buildings. On the fourth and fifth floor the owners can use the outside space to create a green atmosphere.
Other office involved in the project were Arons en Gelauff, BARCODE Architects, KCAP Architects and Planners, NL Architects, NODE, O-office Architects, standardarchitecture, URBANUS, NO 9 Studio, CAFA
University Dorm Beijing
Type: Student dwellings Location: Haidian District, Beijing, China Client: Beijing Normal University Team: Bart Reuser, Marijn Schenk, Michel Schreinemachers, John van de Water Floor area / size: 49.000 sqm Competition: Invited competition 2006, second prize
Chinese university dormitories are strictly divided worlds of girls and boys. For this typical university dormitory, 12 sqm rooms are shared by four students; each room has a closed balcony.
The building will be accommodate a total of 3.500 students. In order to maximize the distance between boys and girls, two L-shaped buildings are situated opposite each other. The boys’ dorm is situated to the south; it is two floors lower and by reducing the building height sunlight is guaranteed to reach the two enclosed courtyards.
The two buildings are connected by a recreation program that can be used from both sides. The elevation concept is derived from nature and abstractly resembles the growing of ivy. Balconies embrace the building and create a play between the individual rooms and the building complex as a whole.