Fei Sha Ao House

Location: anonymous Island, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China

Client: anonymous

Building Floor Area:  990sqm     Site area: 2800sqm

Completion: 2014

Design Team:  J Wu, W Yin, QS Xue

 

Concept:

Siting on an abandoned factory brownfield but within a natural and cultural sensitive area, the project take on a big challenge as how the balance between the need to hide and the need to see to be stricken.

Although the site had been evacuated and filled, the contours outside the boundary can be articulated and the original topographical form can be virtually reinstated, then a desired footprint is projected on the rebuilt surface. This virtual surface is lifted up by 6~7meters to form a new green roof, under which accommodations are all packed in. The new building is expected to be ‘invisible’ in two ways: first, it is tilting back from the site boundary and has little presence to the immediate outside; second, the grassed roof works as ‘camouflage’ to blur itself with the surrounding trees and shrubs. The architects cut and pull-up some small openings on this green roof to allow balconies and windows pop up where necessary. Each balcony and window is ‘sheltered’ by the parapet of the lower room, and again has lowest presence in elevation.

Underneath the planted roof, rooms are stacked up in various levels split by 800mm each in an effort to reduce the overall height of the building. The section shows a step-like floor structure progressively starting from the lower level entrance courtyard with an opening on the retaining wall. The servicing areas, dining hall and meeting/function halls are planned at the higher and lower ends of the ‘step’ sequence, a terrace is planned for the top floor, and a roof-top semi-cantilevered platform is for enjoying unobstructed views. Using GIS information and CAD tools, the architects explored the vista potential for each key indoor area, the test shows that from some points in the building views can reach two major beaches of the island.

Deep inside the building, a patio with curved backdrop wall is invented to introduce daylight into the deeper area of the triangular section.

The external walls are mainly rendered with local traditional finish, whitewashed gravel-blended plaster, and minority areas are cladded with weathered cedar panels.