The Orchard Retreat
Project Location:
Beijing
项目地址：北京
项目地址：北京
The Orchard Retreat is located on the outskirts of Beijing. The building was originally a long, narrow dormitory facing an orchard to the south and backed by a bamboo grove to the north, with an open colonnade running along its orchard-facing façade. The renovation was carried out with minimal intervention: most of the existing brick walls and timber roof structure were preserved, while the layers of plaster and ceiling finishes added over time were removed to reveal the original materials and structural rhythm. Based on this existing order, the building was reorganized into three residential units along the original colonnade grid, each comprising two bedrooms and a shared living room.
The former exterior colonnade on the south side was brought indoors and transformed into a flexible tatami space that mediates between interior and exterior. A series of sliding glass panels placed along the column line bring the orchard landscape into the interior and allow each unit to open freely toward the trees. Outside the curtain walls, a continuous narrow walkway was added and connected to the orchard path, enabling occupants to sit, walk, and move easily between the building and the orchard, softening the boundary between inside and outside, architecture and landscape.
On the north side, which sits directly against the bamboo grove, the existing volume was modestly extended to accommodate the kitchen and bathroom, with small landscaped corners introduced outdoors. A long horizontal window in the kitchen frames the bamboo grove; upon entering the unit, this quiet, continuous view of bamboo becomes the first image encountered. The soft, shifting shadows from the bamboo contrast with the brighter light from the orchard on the south side, creating two distinct atmospheres and a clear spatial sequence that unfolds between the two landscapes.
The renovated building settles lightly back into its site. In the slow movement of light and shifting natural conditions, occupants experience a quieter, more grounded way of dwelling. Rather than calling attention to itself, The Orchard Retreat maintains a restrained presence—resting between orchard and bamboo as a calm place to pause and live alongside nature.
The former exterior colonnade on the south side was brought indoors and transformed into a flexible tatami space that mediates between interior and exterior. A series of sliding glass panels placed along the column line bring the orchard landscape into the interior and allow each unit to open freely toward the trees. Outside the curtain walls, a continuous narrow walkway was added and connected to the orchard path, enabling occupants to sit, walk, and move easily between the building and the orchard, softening the boundary between inside and outside, architecture and landscape.
On the north side, which sits directly against the bamboo grove, the existing volume was modestly extended to accommodate the kitchen and bathroom, with small landscaped corners introduced outdoors. A long horizontal window in the kitchen frames the bamboo grove; upon entering the unit, this quiet, continuous view of bamboo becomes the first image encountered. The soft, shifting shadows from the bamboo contrast with the brighter light from the orchard on the south side, creating two distinct atmospheres and a clear spatial sequence that unfolds between the two landscapes.
The renovated building settles lightly back into its site. In the slow movement of light and shifting natural conditions, occupants experience a quieter, more grounded way of dwelling. Rather than calling attention to itself, The Orchard Retreat maintains a restrained presence—resting between orchard and bamboo as a calm place to pause and live alongside nature.
The Orchard Retreat 位于北京近郊，建筑原是一栋面向果园、背靠竹林的员工宿舍，体量狭长，朝向果园的南侧有一道开敞的柱廊。改造以尽可能少介入的方式展开：设计保留大部分砖墙与木架构，拆除覆在旧砖墙和木构建上的灰层与室内吊顶，使建筑原有的结构与材料展露出来；保留原有的建筑韵律，在此基础上重新组织空间，并沿着原柱廊的尺度分成三个独立的居住单元，每个单元有两个独立的卧室和一个共享起居室。建筑南侧的室外柱廊被纳入室内，作为内外过渡的多功能榻榻米空间；沿柱列安置的滑动玻璃门在将果园景色引入室内的同时，也为用户提供一个可以朝向果园自由开合的界面。玻璃门外侧增铺一条与果园小径相连的连续窄步道，使人们可以沿着步道静坐赏景的同时，也能在建筑与果园间轻松往返，进一步柔化了内与外、建筑与自然的边界。
空间体量在紧邻竹林的建筑北侧进行部分扩建，安置厨房与卫浴，并在室外角落引入小型造景。厨房的长向开窗正对竹林，一踏入户门便能望见这幅自然的长画卷。北侧竹影与穿过南侧果园明亮的光线形成两种截然不同的空间氛围，建筑在两种自然之间形成清晰的空间序列与丰富的层次。改造后的建筑以轻盈的姿态落回场地，使人们在光影的流动与自然的变化中体验诗意的栖居。改造后的建筑并不试图突出自身，而是以克制的姿态融入果园与竹林之间，成为一个可以安静停留、与自然共处的场所。
空间体量在紧邻竹林的建筑北侧进行部分扩建，安置厨房与卫浴，并在室外角落引入小型造景。厨房的长向开窗正对竹林，一踏入户门便能望见这幅自然的长画卷。北侧竹影与穿过南侧果园明亮的光线形成两种截然不同的空间氛围，建筑在两种自然之间形成清晰的空间序列与丰富的层次。改造后的建筑以轻盈的姿态落回场地，使人们在光影的流动与自然的变化中体验诗意的栖居。改造后的建筑并不试图突出自身，而是以克制的姿态融入果园与竹林之间，成为一个可以安静停留、与自然共处的场所。
Before | 改造前
Before | 改造前
After (Rendering) | 改造后 (渲染图)
Sample Unit Axon Diagram 单元轴测图
Rendering 渲染图