White House | ARCHSTUDIO

The grey brick house in the Hutong of Dongcheng District, Beijing was renovated into a residence for a young couple. This brick and concrete structured building is left by the previous owner. The house locates at the outermost of a small Hutong, there are another 5 householders inside. Due to the limitation of the privacy of the neighbors in the Hutong, the interior of the old house is closed and dark.

The designer's purpose is to improve the interior structure based on the conditions of the old building, to reshape a bright, transparent and clean atmosphere for the interior space, and to form an interesting contrast with the exterior appearance of the old block. While facing with the complex and trivial situation, the designer uses “white” as the fundamental color, and brings the space back into a pure and abstract initial state through demolishing and extending, and creates the feeling of a flowing space by taking advantage of the changing lights and outdoor views.
Part of the floor slabs of the original building have been cut off, through which the stairs are turned into a light beam that gets through all interior floors. The changeful natural light which reaches directly to each floor through the skylight brings the enclosed interior space to life. The 2cm steel stair treads and 5cm perforated steel handrails make the stairs a smooth and transparent props. While walking on them, people may feel like walking in the sky. The bare brick wall on the rear side of the stairs is kept and sprayed with white paint to create micro-comparison of new and old.
The numerous built-in bookcases are to meet the needs of the male host who loves to collect books. The wooden grid doors of the bookcases together with the ceiling form a virtual body which embedded into the internal space. “Grids” are scattered across every interior floors, create various behavior spaces, such as tea drinking, hospitality, reading and so on. The introduction of grids filters sight, lighting and views, through which enable the interior to get rid of interference and enjoy peace and tranquility.

Location: Dongcheng District, Beijing

Project Type: Residence
Project Phase: Built
Renovation Area: 160 square meters
Designers: Han Wenqiang, Zhao Yang
Photographer: Wang Ning, Xia Zhi, Zhang Linhan
Author: Han Wenqiang

[CN]
白房子胡同住宅改造
项目地址：北京市，东城区
项目类型：居住
项目阶段：完成
改造面积：160平米
设计团队：韩文强、赵阳
摄影师：王宁，夏至，张琳涵（具体见图片名称备注）
撰文：韩文强
项目简介：
北京东城区胡同边的灰砖房子被改造为一对年轻夫妻的居所。这座砖混结构建筑是由前业主留下的，房子处于一条小胡同的最外边，里面还有五家住户。由于胡同邻里的私密性限制，老房子内部显得封闭、幽暗。
设计师的目标是在旧建筑条件下改善内部空间结构，重塑光亮、透明、整洁的内部空间气息，与老街区外观构成有趣的反差。面对复杂琐碎的现状问题，设计师以“白”作为基调，通过适当的拆除和加建整合室内界面，使空间回复到一个纯净、抽象的初始状态，利用变化的光环境和室外景观创造流动的空间感受。
原建筑楼板被部分的切除，使楼梯空间变成一个穿越内部各层的光筒。透过天窗，富于变化的自然光可直达各楼层，为封闭的室内空间带来新的活力。2公分厚钢制楼梯踏板和5公分穿孔钢板扶手，使楼梯成为既光滑又可透光的道具。游走其中，人会有腾空之感。楼梯背后则保留了裸露的砖墙喷涂白漆，形成新旧材料的微差。
大量嵌入墙体的书柜是为了满足酷爱收藏书籍的男主人。木质格栅书柜门结合吊顶形成内部空间中的嵌入的虚体。“格栅体”散布于室内各层，提示展示出饮茶、待客、阅读等多种行为空间。格栅的介入过滤了视线、光线和景观，使内部摆脱干扰，安享平静与柔和。