In the Chinese village of Shihuyu, an old building, a mere and typical rectangular block, has no specific architectural value, but it perfectly fits into its context. It is seamlessly nested in the little urban agglomeration thanks to its small scale and to its locally-sourced materials, and it orientates towards the Great Wall of China, the main monument standing out from the mountains that surround it.
A young couple, particularly attached to their birthplace, commissioned UPA – United Practice Architect to renovate/reconstruct the entire plot, abandoned and derelict for a long time, to transform it into a residence suitable for a contemporary way of life. The project preserves most of the masonry and wooden structures, and it provides the house with a sequence of glazed rooms opening to the outside.
Contemporary residence by UPA takes in view of the Great Wall
The renovation-reconstruction of an existing building provides it with a sequence of glazed rooms opening towards the landscape.
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, Shihuyu, Beijing, China, 2019. Photo © He lian
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, site plan
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, ground floor plan
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, roof plan
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, cross section
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, axonometric drawing
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, technical details
United Practice Architects | UPA, The Peach Garden, technical details
View Article details
- Alessandro Benetti
- 31 May 2019
- Shihuyu, Beijing, China
- United Practice Architects | UPA
- 158 sqm
- hotel
- 2019
The alcoves extending the three bedrooms towards the courtyard, the living area which increases the existing built volume and defines the new L-shaped plan, as well as the belvedere-lantern on top of it, are all conceived as tools to observe the landscape, framed between wooden and steel profiles.
New persimmon trees planted in the garden, carrying their colourful load of flashy spheres that blossom every year, achieve the interpenetration between architecture and nature.
- The Peach Garden
- hotel
- Shihuyu, Beijing, China
- United Practice Architects | UPA
- Zhou Cao
- Deng Kecao, Zhang Hang, Qin Siyuan
- Yang Peng
- Wang Ruochen, Zhang Tao
- The Peach Garden Hotel
- 158 sqm
- 2019