The Liaoyuan Village at the foot of Mogan Mountain was once a primitive settlement built along the mountainside. However, with the recent development of the tourism area, the residential function of the village has gradually faded, and commercial functions centered around tourism and vacation have gradually emerged. At No. 18, South Road, Liaoyuan Village, there is a beautifully constructed wooden house, with a 200-square-meter courtyard in front. According to the elderly homeowner who once lived there, the building was constructed by their ancestors, and it is speculated to have been built in the late Qing Dynasty or early Republic of China, with more than 100 years of history. Before the renovation, the building was in a semi-abandoned state. The first floor was occasionally maintained, and the courtyard was used as a vegetable garden, while the second floor had completely deteriorated.











Before the renovation design, we conducted a complete survey and restoration of the existing building. The survey and restoration team consisted of skilled craftsmen with extensive experience in historical buildings. Every beam's shape and dimensions, the carvings on the beams and columns, as well as the patterns and decorations on the flower windows, were meticulously documented. This detailed work will facilitate the repair and restoration of damaged parts in the later stages.



























Since most of the beams and columns showed signs of damage from wood-boring bees and termites, the restoration began with sealing and insecticide treatment. The decayed interior wooden partition walls, the first-floor façade, the second-floor floorboards, and the roof were all dismantled, allowing the long-concealed wooden structure to be revealed and properly restored. Wooden boards that remained in relatively good condition were treated for decay, cut to size, and reused in the reconstruction of the second-floor flooring.

To preserve the building’s original character and to control overall project costs, the construction methods for the roof and walls were left unchanged, and no comprehensive insulation or sealing measures were added. The restoration only replaced components with existing damage, such as purlins and enclosure wall panels, and the original roof tiles were reused when the roof was re-laid.



















To allow natural light and air to flow freely into the space, we boldly cut away the parts that made the interior dark and enclosed, including the roof and second-floor flooring. This not only opened up the views of the front and back courtyards but also, by introducing a water feature into the courtyard, blurred the boundaries of the ancient building, creating a vibrant and comfortable atmosphere.























The first floor serves as a public tea-drinking area, while the second floor is divided into two independent tea rooms. A single-span section of the second-floor flooring in the middle of the building was removed to create a double-height space, which is combined with a newly built steel staircase. The complete demolition of the front elevation and the introduction of the water feature completely blurred the building's boundaries, making the original structure a part of the surrounding landscape.
























Another glass structure stands independently in the courtyard, housing a bar counter and back-end auxiliary facilities for tea service. Since this section requires significant electrical and water supply, designing it independently in the courtyard ensures that the infrastructure’s piping and wiring do not affect the ancient house. The electrical system in the house is only sufficient to meet the basic lighting needs.





























The overall strategy for the renovation involved placing two glass boundaries within the site. One is inserted into the existing building, adding a climate boundary without affecting its visual properties or structure, and serves as the primary activity space during extreme weather. The other is independently placed in the courtyard, housing the significant water and electrical equipment required for the tea service and acting as the main circulation space for the entire site. Both glass volumes use a steel structure and glass interface that reflect contemporary characteristics, creating a juxtaposition with the existing ancient house, both inside and outside.






















The two boundary volumes, "embedded" and "external," form two systems that are both related and relatively independent from the original building on the site. The existing structure no longer serves as an enclosed space but instead becomes a purely visual boundary, a landscape that already exists within the site. The ancient house and the contemporary construction stand boldly at both ends of the courtyard, juxtaposed and facing each other, both opposing and complementing one another.

Due to the separation of the climate and visual boundaries, the concept of architectural "form" is blurred here. Those within the space can experience the richness of the environment created simply through the manipulation of form, adding layers of spatial depth.
















Information

Architectural design: Ao Room Architecture

Building area: 380 square meters

Completion date: 2024

Location: Huzhou, Zhejiang, China

Design Team: Yang Vigorous, Zhan Mengjie, Fan Zhixi, Chen Yufan, Wu Jingxue

Restoration Design: Liu Mingyun

Structural Design: Hu Xiaojie

Graphic Design: DizzyLab

Architectural Photography: Wen Studio

Project Owner: Shan Yu Tea House