Forest Villa transforms an existing building shell into a minimalist villa engulfed in nature

Forest Villa by HAS is a minimalist home in suburban China, crafted in an existing building shell, and working with its idyllic natural context

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Forest Villa courtyard exterior
(Image credit: Fangfang Tian)

Young Thai studio HAS Design and Research has just completed Forest Villa, its latest residential project, which balances the tightrope between urban and rural, organic nature and crisp, humanmade minimalist architecture. 

The project is located on the outskirts of Hefei, near the Dashu Mountain National Forest Park in China. It is an adaptation of an existing building, so the structure's bones were already there, and the architects, led by studio founders Jenchieh Hung and Kulthida Songkittipakdee, had to work with them, and wrap them into their own design concept, which centres on serenity and a pared-down approach. 

Forest Villa double height living space

(Image credit: Fangfang Tian)

Forest Villa: a home in paradise

The site is located within a particularly picturesque green landscape. The architects wanted to make the most of this, as well as the existing structure on the plot, intending their design to both complement and contrast with its surroundings. '[We] proposed a new strategy that not only improved the functional spaces but also enhanced the site characteristics through three elements: shell, hole, and void, for a sense of extraordinary living experience in the Forest Villa,' they write.  

Forest Villa minimalist colonnade

(Image credit: Fangfang Tian)

To achieve this, the team wrapped the existing building in a shell of colonnades, crafting geometry and enabling a flowing indoor/outdoor experience for the residents. Climbing plants and mature trees engulf the home and peer into the resulting semi-open spaces. 

Forest Villa living space

(Image credit: Fangfang Tian)

Inside, a minimalist approach creates flexible, neutral spaces, detailed with care and expressing a calm that matches the nature outside. Spanning four levels, the home includes a striking double-height living space, five bedrooms, and a selection of family rooms for the residents to enjoy. 

Forest Villa minimalist kitchen

(Image credit: Fangfang Tian)

'Forest Villa is inspired by reverence and analogy of nature, allowing the architecture to learn from the natural growth of a forest, such as a sequence of pillars like a grove of trees, with each pillar having random textures and proportions for a tactile and visual sensation,' the architects write. 'The space is sustainable and timeless.' 

Forest Villa dining area

(Image credit: Fangfang Tian)

Forest Villa bathroom

(Image credit: Fangfang Tian)

view from Forest Villa

(Image credit: Fangfang Tian)

bedroom at Forest Villa

(Image credit: Fangfang Tian)

hasdesignandresearch.com 

Ellie Stathaki
Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).