Shiyezhai
Courtyard GREEN

Shiyezhai was transformed from an old courtyard house in Beijing into an office space for a new law firm. The most interesting part of the project is that two trees, one large and one small, are preserved and utilized in the courtyard. The organization of space and movement lines is closely centered around the two trees. Through a series of glass interfaces with different transparencies and textures, multiple relationships between people and trees are established, and the body is driven to move from one tree to another through multiple paths, extending and magnifying the originally cramped courtyard space in perception. The transformation work has become a way to help the body pick up greenery in the building.

Courtyard GREEN is a transformation of an old Beijing courtyard into an emerging law office. The most interesting part about the project is to reserve two existing trees on site. Spaces and circulations were organized around the two trees, a series of glass interfaces with different transparency and texture were placed to build the relationship between the body and the trees, driving the body moving from one tree to the other in multiple paths, extending the original narrow courtyard space conceptually. The transformation project thus enables the body to pick up the green from inside the building.