Neri & Hu reimagine traditional courtyard typology in Beijing
A chic composition of brick and aluminium-clad volumes set in the serene, leafy countryside that surrounds Beijing brings together clubhouse and sales suite courtesy of architects Neri & Hu
When Beijing-based architects Neri & Hu were invited to create a new clubhouse and sales centre in the Miyun Reservoir region outside Beijing, they were introduced to a site including an existing, donut-shaped structure, rich greenery and views of the nearby undulating mountain ranges and meandering rivers. This idyllic spot became the home of the new Junshan Cultural Center.
Working with the existing structure's traditional Chinese courtyard typology, the team composed two interlocking journeys through the re-imagined building, one for each of its uses. Different volumes were arranged in a complex and clad in warm-toned wood pattern aluminium panels against a brick facade. Meanwhile, traditional gold brick tiles line floors in the landscaping, as well as the interior ‘in-between' spaces.
Inside, the structure features a 100-person multi-purpose hall, a business lounge and bar, a library, a children’s reading room, a private function room, a family media room, a red-wine and cigar lounge bar and a rooftop deck; all are available to the club's members. Meanwhile, a fully operational sales suite occupies a discrete part of the building.
An art gallery with its sculpted ceiling is one of the project's most dramatic rooms – though Neri & Hu's subtle, minimalist touch and signature use of tactile surfaces and natural materials are evident throughout. At the same time, all areas feature carefully placed openings that frame the striking surrounding natural scenery that connects the building unequivocally to its locale.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
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).
-
Serenade your senses at Farasha Farmhouse in Marrakech
Farasha Farmhouse is a serene escape hidden on the outer reaches of Marrakech
By Nicola Chilton Published
-
‘Bio-spaces’ exhibition at Roca London Gallery celebrates biophilic design
‘Bio-Spaces: regenerative, resilient futures’ opens at the Roca London Gallery as ‘a call to action to stop designing nature out’
By Clare Dowdy Published
-
Les Lalanne’s surreal world takes over Venice
‘Planète Lalanne’, presented by Ben Brown Fine Arts, takes over Palazzo Rota Ivancich, with a cast of blue hippos, woolly sheep and giant grasshoppers
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Beijing City Library is an otherworldly escape from the digital world
Beijing City Library by Snøhetta is a flowing, welcoming space to share knowledge and socialise
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Chinese scholar Zhang Taiyan’s house opens as a museum and bookshop in Suzhou
20th-century Chinese scholar Zhang Taiyan’s house in Suzhou has opened to the public as a museum, featuring a bookshop designed by Tsing-Tien Making
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Jiaxing’s sunken train station is a hub of urban greenspace and efficient city links
Jiaxing Train Station by MAD Architects is a bubble of urban green space with a blend of reconstructed historical design and modern minimalism
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Junya Ishigami’s Zaishui Art Museum in China was conceived as a ‘gentle giant’
Japanese architect Junya Ishigami completes Zaishui Art Museum, a kilometre-long building positioned in a manmade lake and aiming to ‘bring the outside landscape in’
By Joanna Kawecki Published
-
Sun Tower, rising on Yantai’s waterfront, wins Best Building Site in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024
We take a tour of the building site at Sun Tower, Open Architecture's new nature-inspired cultural attraction for the seaside town of Yantai in China
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
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
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Chinese island house brings luxury minimalism to seaside living
L House by AD Architecture is a Chinese island house that bridges luxury minimalism and seaside living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The Boatyard Hotel in Suzhou embraces the surrounding landscape
GOA and WJ Studio’s Boatyard Hotel in China takes its design cues from the nearby river
By Hannah Silver Published