The project is to renovate the top floor of a house along the Chengdu Ring Road, which is located in a residential subdivision developed in 2004. Entering the new millennium, the real estate market is still in full swing, the trajectory of real estate development has not been established, the standardization of water lines has not been established as a general rule, and even idealistic trends exist among small and medium-sized developers, resulting in a richness that has not been seen in 20 years. For example, the “Upper River City” on the southern riverfront of Chengdu Prefecture is one example. The property, developed in 2003, has left the ground floor vacant, leaving public space, and a small art museum has been designed in the residential area. The area in which this program is located is also such a special product of this period.

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The first time you enter the area where the project is located, there is an unreal feeling, and the architecture and landscape are not our usual residential neighborhood patterns. Many spaces and nodes are not designed according to standardisation and established regulations, nor are efficiency priorities. Units are not always copied from office to exterior design, and the whole area feels elegant and fresh due to the separation generated by the differences, because there is no action. It gets vibrant. The project is commissioned by Three Kings House, where the man works as an advertising planner, as well as an independent artist and charity practitioner. They returned to Chengdu from Beijing and saw this suite when choosing a place to live, impressed by its strange layout and non-standard form possibilities, and invited us to build this top-floor living space together. Design focuses on thinking and pushing in three directions from living space, living atmosphere and lifestyle.
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Survival space

The design creates a more efficient living space through the original house plan and vertical expansion. The theme of urban renewal focuses mainly on older, more publicly-owned businesses, or more communicable old factories, with large numbers of homes becoming neglected properties. Our common home transformations are mostly stylistically oriented street frontage, known as “dressing caps”, to give a clean, well-organized appearance of the building, while also bringing a number of side effects: the mechanical unity of the exterior of the building, the monotony of the commercial signage at the bottom of the block, and the loss of urban vibrancy that comes with diversity. Force; some cases have adopted uniform closed balconies to reduce possible “visual pollution”, where residents lose the vitality they expect from balcony clothes, sunbeds, and hair dryers; landscape changes the urban perspective, residential buildings are treated as seen, ignoring residents' sense of body. The change of face has not resulted in a tangible improvement in the livelihoods that are practical for residents.

In the remodeling of residential projects, we have a rustic point of view: expand the usable area as much as possible, and a larger, more efficient activity area is the basis for carrying the ideal life. Designed with basic conditions such as structural safety, adjustable plumbing and positioning, neighborly harmony, and maximizing the use of the space and optimizing its use efficiency: closed balconies - closing the original soiled and uncleanable balconies, expanding the scope of use for residential activities; flooring Demolition - Removal of the partial roof floor, design of internal stairs to the upper and lower floors, increase the accessibility of the upper floor space, thereby increasing the efficiency of the use of the upper floor space; redevelopment of the building - - Alteration of the original roof panels to create a more reliable roof environment, replacing the lower level with a roof garden Enclosed balcony function to improve the efficiency of use of roof space.
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Living atmosphere

The design creates a relaxed living atmosphere through the combing of the original house material. Spatial tones are dominated by black, white, gray and wood, with wooden parts as necessary fixed furniture, cabinets, doors and newly built light walls; gray parts are cement floors, exposed original building beam structures; white parts are ceiling and ceiling, walls and some fixed cabinets; black parts are stairs, Handrails, entrance door covers, etc., are the main components. Clear material logic, from beams, columns to floors, walls to lightweight walls, cabinets to local components, forms a natural and effortless visual system.
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lifestyles

Design creates a fun way of living by remodeling the original house using dynamic lines. The original curing room concept of the project did not meet the lifestyle requirements of the owners, who wanted an integrated space combining rest, socializing, activities, work, and entertainment. The design redefines how each part of the original home uses and moves to create a more fluid, open, spacious, and personal living space that accommodates a diverse lifestyle. The kitchen and living balcony form a transparent space for the dining kitchen; the original guest bedroom and master bedroom were reconfigured into an open entrance hall, living room and raised children's room with mezzanines; the top floor combines the functions of a studio and a leisure gym to create a flexible living room that can be separated. The thematic features are joined together by a corridor or staircase to form an overall interior environment that permeates the atmosphere, providing multiple possibilities for a rich indoor activity.

The project spanned the five years before and after construction, without making too many design adjustments during this relatively long implementation period. The design focused on basic issues such as living space, living atmosphere, lifestyle, and was able to withstand the test of time and withstand the test of life.

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Project Information
Architect: Van Tsuk Design
Area: 274 m²
Project Year: 2022
Photographer: Hai-ting Sun
Principal Architect: Zhong Zhi
Design Team: Li Ling, Xue Jeiyuan
CONSTRUCTION PLACE:CHENGDU MACHINE BASE CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
City: Chengdu

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