A house for all seasons in a Chinese village

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A view of the relaxing washing courtyard, nestled in the center of the house's quiet surroundings (Photo: John Lin)

A view of the rear courtyard with sheltered spaces for pigs and goats. The biogas facilities are underground (Photo: John Lin)

An outside view of the completed house, with the front entrance seen at the far right (Photo: John Lin)

View from the living room toward the garden courtyard (Photo: John Lin)

Functional drawing of the water, biogas, sewage, and heating systems (Image: John Lin)

Shijia Village in Shaanxi Province is the location of Lin's award-winning project house (Image: John Lin)

The process of building the model house tells a great deal about the construction of the actual house (Photo: John Lin)

A view of the house's living room, with windows showing the washing courtyard to the left, and the garden courtyard to the right (Photo: John Lin)

The terraces of the garden courtyard (Photo: John Lin)

An outer wall of mud brick covered with fired brick, and stairs leading to the roof (Photo: John Lin)

View into the project house through a transparent roof showing the layout and flow of the living spaces (Image: John Lin)

Illuminated model of John Lin's Chinese House-for-all-Seasons (Photo: John Lin)

Plat map of Shijia Village, showing the project house on the outskirts of the town (Image: John Lin)

Cross-section through the house, showing building techniques and storage (Image: John Lin)

Article Summary

China has set itself the goal of transforming half of its rural population of 700 million people into productive, comfortable members of urban conglomerations in the next three decades. Thus far, the process has moved along with a great deal of work for civil and mechanical engineers and the construction industry, but very little role for architects in the generically styled concrete and brick urban buildings. Award-winning architect at the University of Hong Kong John Lin and his associates believe that this process of urbanization also calls for a flexible approach to house design in rural areas. The result is a project that looks at the role of the stereotypic village house and attempts to propose a prototype which reaches toward contemporary living styles while respecting the functionality and traditions of the past.

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