Old Study in Solitude / Atelier Wen'Arch

Save this picture!

+ 13

Save this picture!

Text description provided by the architects. Located at the eastern end of Zhongxin Village in Longmen County, Huizhou, this project transforms an old late Qing Dynasty study building into a meditation-themed art space in the village. It serves as a project for the "Nankunshan-Luofushan Rim Pioneer Zone (Huizhou) Architectural Art Project" organized by Fengyuzhu. The original building features a U-shaped courtyard layout with a traditional construction technique known as "Gold Wrapped in Silver"—consisting of an exterior grey brick skin and an interior earthen wall—punctuated by staggered window openings. Internally, fragments of wooden mezzanine components remain, sheltered by a traditional timber roof with grey clay tiles. Prior to intervention, the study was identified as a hazardous structure due to prolonged neglect, characterized by loosened walls and a decaying roof, while the interior was perpetually enveloped in dim, atmospheric natural light.The design aims to balance protective restoration with spatial intervention. On one hand, it reinforces the structure while preserving historical features, seeking to create a "stratified readability" of temporal traces. On the other, it employs a palette of warm and cool light to sculpt the spatial field. Through the intervention of installations, a distinction is drawn between the golden, warm light within the ancestral study and the natural, cool light of the courtyard, establishing a site of staggered, contrasting atmospheres.