Of the many revitalisations and refurbishment projects that are written about in architectural media, perhaps the most common statement—and hence one open to scrutiny—is the emphasis on the preservation of the 'original local lifestyle and architectural spirit' of a site. There is a sense of aura that permeates the material, an aura of the inescapable “architectural spirit” that architects claim to mine in exercises of adaptive reuse, refurbishment or renovation as a means of linking the ever-changing past with the material present. This practice, of preservation and laying claim to something greater than the present through reuse becomes particularly palpable when speaking about the conscious refurbishment of homes into public spaces such as museums. Such gestures denote not only the preservation of the built but also of a way of life, opening out the private realm of homes to the public. A curious glass lantern distinguishes itself from the other shingle-roofed structures in Chenjiapu Village, Songyang County, Zhejiang Province, regarded as "the last secret land South of the Yangtze River".

Tucked into the mountainside, the Maison S Museum or Songyang Shizhongshanfang Museum, designed by WIT Design & Research, a Beijing-based spatial design firm occupies the reception area of a Chinese Minsuku (or guesthouse) with six guestrooms. The museum, which as the architects note is one of the only public spaces in the village, allows tourists to gain insight into the local life of the region through various displayed artefacts and staged sets. These displays discursively show scenes of cooking, drinking tea, pounding rice, ancestor worship, reading, sleeping, etc for visitors to gain a better understanding of local culture.

The museum design is conceived in conjunction with the typical Chinese Minsuku, or a type of bed and breakfast accommodation that, as the architects state, has recently started gaining popularity in China. These hospitality spaces allow tourists from the city a sense of escape from the hubbub of urban life, and an experience of the simplicity of the bucolic countryside.

By creating an exhibition space that highlights local life, the project attempts to consider a novel approach to rural revitalisation—a strategy that has become a core component of the Chinese government’s development model—by promoting tourism, the architects note. They go on to mention how the project’s location, Chenjiapu Village is one of the few villages that has managed to preserve its regional traditions and characteristics, with strict measures in place to protect the original landscape, making their own intervention and its authenticity crucial to the design.

The building, constructed mainly with rammed earth and wood, a material widely used in Chinese architecture, was conceived by partly dismantling and reconstructing an existing concrete and steel house. The rammed earth architecture adds a sense of warmth to the spaces, further allowing the new building to complement its built context. The patio of the structure has been converted into a glass box, which floods the museum with natural light throughout the day, transforming the space from one hour to the next. As the design team notes, “The light and darkness in the space are a metaphor for time, echoing the museum's intention of recording and remembering times gone by.”

The artefacts for the various scenes that the museum recreates were procured by the designers over several months from neighbouring counties, adding to the lived-in quality of this museum of the home. These include a couch bed typical of the region (displaying the wear and tear of time) and several bedside lamps that comprise the bedroom layout. A traditional straw raincoat is hung on the wall of the kitchen set-up along with cabinets and pots, a quintessential artefact for local villagers in an area of dense rainfall. The lighting design by PROL renders the space with a soft glow, making this pretence of a home feel cosy and safe. The lighting further reinforces a certain restrained quality the spaces possess.

A deference to earthy, natural textures and the imperfection of craft and salvage in its choice of material and artefacts adds to the vitality of the exhibition spaces, emphasising the lived quality of homes. Rather than just emulating a sense of authenticity, the details from the paper lanterns to the carefully arranged utensils make the space feel like it’s alive, like someone just left, shutting the door behind them. As director of the practice, Zhenhua Luo states about the project, “Revitalisation in the real sense here is not a matter of collection, but a process of awakening and a resonance from deep within, a revival of the human touch in the building.” 

Project Details

Name: Songyang Shizhongshanfang Museum (The Maison S Museum)
Location: Songyang County, Zhejiang Province
Architect: WIT Design & Research
Design Team: Zhenhua Luo, Qinruo Chen, Chou Chou, Rui Tao, Gongpu Zhao, Yang Ling, Wenyi Chen
Consultants:
Lighting Design: PROL
Structure Consultant: Yuanping Cao
Structure Design: Zhongwaijianhuacheng
Building Electrical Construction Drawing: Aofu/Liang Liang
Façade Consultant: Beijing Elevation Times
Area: 230sqm
Year of Completion: 2024