Fotografía: Rufwork
Architect John Lin has adapted the traditional style of a rural Chinese courtyard residence to create a village house that is entirely self-sufficient.
A number of courtyards are contained behind the walls of the house, accommodating a pig pen and an underground biogas boiler that generates energy from the animal waste. Wide staircases provide areas for planting crops, which can be fertilised using leftover slurry from the boiler and dried on the roof of the house.
During the rainy season the roof is also used to collect water, which filters down into a large container and can be stored throughout the year. Just like a traditional village residence, the building has insulating mud walls, but also features a concrete frame to increase earthquake-resistance and a latticed brick exterior that provides both shade and natural ventilation.
House For All Seasons recently won first prize in the AR House 2012 awards. Last year’s winner was a house covered in rubber and the winning project in 2010 was a house with shutters weighted by concrete balls.
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Shaanxi Province Women’s Federation, Qiaonan Town Government, Shijia Village Government, The University of Hong Kong
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Huang Zhiyun, Kwan Kwok Ying, Maggie Ma, Jane Zhang, Qian Kun, Katja Lam, Li Bin
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