Hutongs and Courtyards - Beijing, China.

Árný Árnadóttir, Arkitekt MAA

tlf. 4223 0607 arnydk@gmail.com

6 week Study trip to Beijing, 2012.

Hutongs and Courtyards registrations and the assignment > group work with chinese architecture students from CAFA <

Cafa and AAA as joint studio, A pilot project.

22 october - 2 december 2012. > 6 weeks

Registrations from the hutong street in Beijing

The Hutong street is a: livingroom laundry house, terasse, fridge, storage hangout workshop etc

The Hutongs are more than just a street.

It is an extension to their home becomes a part of their home.

The Hutong street is always tidy and well taken care of.

Chairs chained to poles locals reserve the best places on the street. residents claim ownership to certain spots sometimes far away from their own residence.

hangouts / socializing

The entrences Indicates the status of the resident old symbolic decorations.

Courtyards main principles feeling for usefullness and a potent symbolism.

Enclosure and openings are fundamental

courtyard as an enclosed garden located within the house.

Open to occupants, closed against the outside world.

The plan is open, overlapping indoor and outdoor spaces.

Development over time structure has expanded due to insufficient housing

maze of corridors connecting to multiple homes.

Often 10 to 15 families live in one courtyard.

To a stranger this may seem unattractive, but to the locals this is precious.

This organization of living opens up possibilities for new and more intense social inter-

actions.

Hutong courtyard today

Sketching elevations and measuring Each group was assigned two hutong streets.

The task was to measure elevations and make a drawing in the scale 1:50.

The drawing should consist of elevations from each side of the hutong street along with a plan of the street.

The 1:50 drawing 10 m paper roll drawn by hand we took turns

Exhibition at Beijing Central Academi of Fine Arts The 10 m paper roll drawing and our mappings

Exhibition at the Aarhus School of Architecture