Architectural restorations of historical projects are difficult to achieve.
Siheyuan is the word for a traditional residential complex that features courtyards surrounded by buildings on each side.
Siheyuans are typically symmetrical in plan, focusing on the centralized exterior space to organize the complex.
Archstudios renovation was able to successfully preserve these important qualities.
When the firm was first granted the project, the siheyuan was showing its age.
Archstudio describes that the roofs, walls, doors, and windows were all missing or badly damaged.
Luckily, critical pieces of the buildingssuch as the main wooden beams and some of the arched doorwayswere intact.
Discarded construction material and plant overgrowth added to the deteriorating state of the complex.
Perhaps most evident from photos of the finished project is the dramatic contrast of color and material.