Shijia Hutong Project An Effort to Regenerate a Traditional Neighborhood of Old Peking The Prince’s Charities Foundation (China) PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com
Background - Hutong and courtyard houses became the main form of traditional vernacular residence in Beijing since the Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368 A.D.). - Yet, in the past few decades, its preservation has been severely challenged due to the lack of awareness, the loss of skill sets, the real estate developers’ interest for higher profit and the government’s longing for faster GDP growth. - Within the remaining 800 hutong communities, little effective preservation work had been carried out to generate real impact, and very few civil societies are involved in the preservation of hutongs due to its high technical and financial threshold. - At the invitation of the Beijing municipal government, the Prince’s Charities Foundation (China) had embarked on an experimental project to regenerate the century old hutongs, together with our other UK sister charities.
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Key Challenges - Restore the courtyard using traditional techniques and materials, but this has not been the common practice for most contractors. - Incorporate modern green technology, so the maintenance of the property will be more sustainable in the long run. - Tell the touching family story of the original owner using clever designs, so as to arouse sympathy among future visitors for the preservation of hutongs. - Provide the local community and the general public with the correct interpretation of the hutong culture, as well as the traditional Chinese culture. - Use the project as an exemplar project to leverage more resources from the local government, individuals and corporate on the preservation of hutongs in Beijing.
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Analysis -The architecture had little value for preservation, since the building has been rebuilt many times when it was used as a community kindergarten. - After dismantling carefully, most of the materials found in the last major restoration were not authentic and faithful to the traditional building practice. - Interior space should be connected, rather than separated to provide convenience when this property is used as a museum. - The central building has a longer history as it was not only recorded in the archive drawings in early 1950’s, but also was proven by its foundation built with traditional materials. - The other surrounding buildings were built gradually since 1960’s, as new materials, including a lot of cement, were used.
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The Ling family was very prestigious in the late Qing Dynasty, as well as in the early republican period. The father a senior official in the imperial court (1890’s to 1911), and the daughter and son inlaw both famous literati in the republican period (1930’s to 1940’s). PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com
A drawing by Ling Shuhua, showing her impression of her home garden in Peking in 1930’s. PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com
Enquiry by Design An Enquiry by Design (EbD) workshop took place in April 2010, involving local residents, preservation groups, architectural experts, urban planners, as well as local government. Initially, the Foundation was tasked to look at redesigning the entire hutong and propose a series of small interventions to help this historic neighborhood. During the EbD, the participating residents raised a series of other issues. Most of these issues are being addressed by the foundation report. After a few more rounds of follow-up discussions, the Foundation suggested a general plan for Shijia Hutong Project Phase I on restoring the Courtyard 24 as a Hutong Museum.
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After the workshop, a small expert advisory board was established to provide insights for the development of the project, from both historical and architectural perspectives. PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com
Key features: - Authenticity - Sustainability - Energy efficiency
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Dismantle the property carefully.
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Geothermal construction took place first, so it will not be in conflict with the architectural construction.
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Reclaimed old bricks from the site were being cleaned for reuse as the foundation of the building.
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Qing Dynasty foundation was re-discovered, confirming our assumption that the central building was on its original footprint.
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Reconstructed foundation using old bricks and stones.
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Wood logs had been processed and dried for over six months, so it won’t change its shape again when built.
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The last main room beam is key to the success of a wood structure house, and a traditional worship ceremony was performed by the workers.
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Finished wooden structure.
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Putting on wooden boards.
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Waterproof layer, simple yet key to improve the lifespan of a traditional building.
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More insulation layers
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Some city wall bricks carry a chop from the Ming Dynasty, indicating the original kiln which had produced this brick – the ancient yet effective way of quality control. PDF created with pdfFactory trial version www.pdffactory.com
A sample wall has been built to study the best way of building the main building in an authentic way, using reclaimed materials.
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From experiment to practice
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The completed garble wall.
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And wooden window frames
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Excel in the art of carpentry.
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Prefabricated windows shipped to Shijia Hutong.
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Finished work.
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More technical challenges need to be addressed at weekly meetings.
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Part of the window design had been improved to prevent the loss of heat in winter.
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Sample paints had been tested so as to select the best color.
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Putting on color to the wooden windows and doors.
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Double glazed window glasses arrived before winter.
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Finished window with lattice and glass.
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Geothermal team came back to install all the tubes and machines.
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The hidden tubes providing heat from underneath the ground.
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The pump of the geothermal system was placed in a small basement, which was part of the 1960 bomb shelter when China were confronting the Soviet Union in its northern border.
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Reclaimed old tiles.
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Workers finishing up the last part of the roof tiles.
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The garble wall are not the same color to show the one on the right was built using old materials.
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Reclaimed ground tiles, supposedly imported from Europe in 1930’s.
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Testing the quality of the ground bricks for the yard.
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Laying ground bricks.
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Winter arrives.
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But the temperature indoor was very comfortable.
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Reclaimed brick carving from a neighboring hutong, symbolizing auspicious meanings.
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Rebuilt into the east wall of the first courtyard.
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Rose garden in the rear yard
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View of the main hall from the rear yard
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Before
After
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Before
After
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Special thanks to: Chaoyangmen Sub-district People’s Government Beijing Archives Administration Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment Prince’s School of Traditional Arts
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