Wen Wen Xi Construction Office｜135 Floor, Hubei Villas - Cliff House

Four years ago, Mr. Wang from Dongguan contacted the office and said that he had land in his house and wanted to build an independent house. I wanted to help him design it. After talking in detail, I learned that the local traffic is inconvenient, the transportation of building materials is very difficult, plus there are not many young people around, the labor costs are high. At the time, I was not able to stay in Tokyo for a long time. This series of difficulties made me want to push this design for a while, but when I saw the scene, I still decided to go next, for one reason only: the cliff.
‍

Geometry of Mountains Geometry of Mountains

Hidden in the depths of a mountain at the base of a cliff, the cliffs are extremely hard and have a rough texture, like a giant palm.

It is late autumn, the mountains are smiling south, the persimmon tree in the yard has already yielded fruit. Leave it, and when you face the Aoyama tasting, you can pick up the red-red persimmon accompanied by tea.

The base valley is quiet, the forest is lush and the cliffs block the cold wind from the north, wrapping the building inside. The corners of the mountains, the straight lines of cliffs, the curves of the mountain roads all hint at something geometric.

Sloping bends of the fence of the building surround the western mountain body, forming a narrow entrance. The two floors correspond to the movement of the mountain body with arched walls. Huge beams protruding from the south-north sides seem to grow out of the cliff.

‍
The north side of the house approaches the cliff, forming a narrow linear garden. The south side opens to the castle to embrace nature. The cone-shaped space of the roof responds to the mountains, inside only two round windows that allow you to see the outside view, and the light comes from the top, which is an interior space facing itself alone.
‍

‍

Square, Circle, Triangle and Turning Line

Geometry and nature's mutual reference is the source of the spatial beauty of House of Cliffs. The architecture uses four movements such as square, circle, corner, and fold to respond to local life: “square” is the living room and bedroom, which is a regular living routine; “circle” is the entrance and the skylight, which is a sensory side face; “corner” is a mountain, which is a meditation space that goes to the heart; “fold” is a fence, a package of the surrounding environment and accommodates. THE INTERIOR DESIGN CONTINUES THE GEOMETRIC METHOD OF ALLOWING LIGHT TO ENTER THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY.
Aokawa and cliff are two forms of mountain, the latter closer to the section of the mountain, and the latter together witness the inner cycle of withered grass and wood. Different types of windows face the different sides of the mountain, allowing the building and the people to witness the repeated cycles of life together.

‍

‍

Coarsely and Delicate

Today, quite a few people like clean water concrete, but what they like is not its original rough texture, but the treated silky surface, which is an important component of concrete, was originally extracted from the mountains. When we see the cliff wall, we realize that silkiness is not what it really is As a property, concrete should retain its rough texture like a naughty stone. However, it can also be subtle. We observe the changes of the seasons in different ways, encountering occasional light from all sides, which gives the building a soft touch. After four springs, the house was finally finished. Cliff House is the studio's third freestanding home built in 15 years since my first home design at university. Some say that architecture is an art that satisfies time. I believe that as long as you love rafting, the picture in your mind will emerge many years later.

‍

‍

Project Information
Project Name: Cliff House
Project Type: Detached House
Design Company：Wen-xi Construction Co., Ltd.
Lead Architect: Wen-xi Tsuen
Design team: Yue Wuwei, Lin Shangliang, Wu Shuncheng, Ye Shengtao, Lai Pengfei (Structure), Wang Hongying (Electrical), Jiang Yujuan (for Drainage)
Project Address：Hubei
Building Size: 450 ㎡
Material: Wood board form-forming concrete, steel (Yuanmao Building Material - Shiyan Local Processing Plant), Glass (Goldenglass), Red Brick (Shiyan Local Brick Factory)
Design time: 2019-2022
Construction time: 2020-2023
Photographer: Kim Wai-qi
Project Name: Cliff House
Project Type: Independent House
Design Company: LI WENXI Architects
Lead Architect: LI Wenxi
Design team: Zhou Wuji, Lin Shangliang, Wu Shunchi, Ye Shengtao, Lai Pengfei (structure), Wang Hongying (electrical), Jiang Yujuan (water supply and drainage)
Project address: Hubei, China
Building area: 450 square meters
Materials: Wooden board template, plain concrete, steel, glass, brick
Design time: 2019-2022
Construction period: 2020-2023
Fotografo: Jin Weiqi
‍

Copyright Disclaimer: All articles on this site are original, copyrighted, and may not be reproduced in any form without permission (including but not limited to: media, websites, etc.) without permission. All project photos/design graphics are copyrighted by the original author. Some of the content on this site comes from public sources on the Internet or is shared by users. If it violates the legitimate interests of the original author, you can contact us for processing.