The design of this organic farm is inspired by a traditional Chinese courtyard. Taking up a land area of 6,000sqm, produce from the surrounding villages ends up in this place where they are packed and then redistributed. The workshop is located on the fringe area of Guye district, Tangshan, China.
Architects Archstudio meant for the house to be natural and flexibility, a workplace which is in itself self-contained and relational to the surrounding broad and flat field.
The building is made up of four independent houses. The central courtyard spans out around the building randomly, forming a space of multiple layers, which meets the demand for natural ventilation, natural lighting and views of a workshop while maintaining nice interior and exterior space quality.
Glulam timbers make up the main structure, making it seem as if the building is “floating” above the ground. It sits on a 60cm cement base, which allows the wood structure to be moisture proofed against the ground. Some pipelines are also hidden beneath. The light wood structure-wood frame wall spans a length of 2.1m; the upper part is a glulam truss beam; the top is wooden with felt roofing.
All in all, the space, structure, materials and the multi-layered exterior courtyards create a warm and natural working atmosphere for the farm.
For this project, Archstudios bagged a mention at the 2017 Wood Design & Building Awards.
Images: Jin Wei-Qi
