From pigpen to pavilion

The Shanghai based Atelier Archmixing recently transformed a former pigpen into an extra space for two adjoining courtyard houses in a village near Suzhou in Jiangsu Province. Orange trees on a small hill surround the walled space in which a 15-year-old orange tree and a 20-year-old Indian Lilac (Neem Tree) were saved.

The pigpen was demolished and the building material was fully reused for the irregular rectangular space. The bricks for the wall and the cobblestones for the base were composed into various patterns.

The slightly sloping roof parallels the gravelled ground in the original situation. An oval void is left out in the concrete roof plate around the two trees. From inside, the connection to nature is limited to the trees, the sky and the gravel. The brick walls with their own history are strongly present in the space.

The construction evokes a hybrid space between court, pavilion and garden by inverting traditional patterns of arrangement. Whereas the outer wall encloses the space, the only opening inside connects towards the sky and the trees.

The hybrid space concept is further enhanced by the materiality of the floor with simple gravel and the reuse of the old bricks. The concentration in materiality and in space arrangement reflects the search for a condensed atmosphere that keeps out the stress of the everyday urban surrounding.

The authenticity and pureness of material and the unconventional space arrangement are indicators of a new awareness of history and aesthetics. From the village path, the wall is painted white to meet the requirements of the historic preservation. Inside, the natural appearance of the materials is preserved.

The hybrid space nullifies the dichotomy between inside and outside. The authenticity of the material and the space concept refer to a new sensibility towards history and experience of the natural elements in the built environment. Atelier Archimix combined simple craft with a refined concept to turn a simple pigpen into a new space of contemplative experience.  
Eduard Kögel