The 9 Huguo Hostel is located, as the name suggests, on Huguo Temple Street in Beijing, China. The site, a Siheyuan (traditional Chinese courtyard) that belonged to the late Beijing Opera Artist, Mei Lanfang, now houses 20-24 visitors from all over the world.
Minutes away from the Forbidden City, Huguo Temple Street is quiet and one of the few undisturbed Hutongs (narrow alleys) in today’s Beijing. Nested in the intimate, introverted fabrics of the neighborhood, the architecture shows a demure sophistication: a plain façade; flemish bond brickwork; tall, clay-tiled slope roof; beams painted maroon with striking, gently worn patterns. Inside, a small courtyard is surrounded on all four sides by halls, the rigorous and intricate layout of which guarantees maximum privacy.
Chief among the existing features is the complex beam system: the layered pieces of the ceiling are gracefully held together by the interlocking bracket sets, Dou Gong. The structure is massive yet light.
Continuing in this vein, the hostel design draws inspiration from the intricacy and elegance of the existing. A set of metal brackets was designed, on which translucent fabric screens are mounted in replacement of heavy doors.
“Hugging” the wooden beams and abiding the rigorous existing structural grid, this bracket-screen system is a modern gesture, differentiating the new design from the traditional. The free-moving screen system encourages the occupants to define the volumes according to their desired privacy level.
Similarly, the sleeping area and laundry design draw inspiration from joinery in ancient Chinese architecture. Two joints from the preliminary studies were combined to form the scaffolding of eight bunk beds (four twin, four full). The louvered visual continues the ridged language of the clay tile roof. Meanwhile, the opaque screens on the side of the bed, inspired by the delicate yet strong skeleton of Chinese kites, offers the options for the guests to adjust privacy levels.
Taking the intimacy of the neighborhood into consideration, the design puts an emphasis on “everyday” activities such as doing laundry and showering. Incorporated into these water-based programs are two water filtration systems.
Out of respect for the vernacular condition, the hostel is designed as a non-intrusive entity. While it has a unified vocabulary illustrating essential Chinese tectonic elements, the design stands free from the limitation of stereotypical imagery, symbols and
iconography.
