The site for this artist studio is on lake shore where the shore starts to turn from west to south. The topography change brought a site condition in which the west and south periphery is 4-6 meter high retaining walls, leaving east open to lake view and north facing the neighbor at immediate adjacency. Implied by the nature of the site, we sought a piece of architecture that integrates into the topography and becomes landscape.
Conceived as a single storey volume, it is cut in the east and north in such that it makes way for skylight to enter the building and it generates public paths across the building linking the road above and the water below. The shape of such volume results in a rich ceiling profile from the inside: the studio is lit by ample sky light, and the lake is seen through a controlled horizontal frame at eye level.
In this project, the generic boundary between roof and façade disappeared; the building opens up to receive light, welcome pedestrians, and renders dynamic views from different directions.
• Structure & wall: Concrete frame & CMU blocks
• Exterior finishing: cement pressure plate & wood deck,
• Interior finishing: gypsum board with wall paint & blue stone flooring,
• Interior lighting fixture: energy efficient fluorescent tubes
Project Architect: Di Shaohua
Team: Liu Xing, Zhang Xiaodong
Photographer: Zhou Ruogu, Yang Yuguang,Praxis d’Architecture