After years of neglect, an old, dilapidated home in Junxiang village in Beijing, China, was transformed into the House of Bluff, an expansive family retreat designed by the Chinese architecture practice, Chaoffice. The studio has designed and executed several private residences since its establishment in 2016, with most of the projects in rural or suburban contexts. "The clients are young and the site belongs to one of their relatives who passed away,” the founder of the practice, Cheng Zhi, told STIR. The site had become home to stray animals, birds and insects as the vegetation overgrew and the structure decayed, but two trees of toon stood the test of time and thrived to see the newly revived site. “The clients wished to create a place for themselves and guests, where both older people and young children would enjoy themselves,” he added. A spacious five-bedroom home was laid out on the site against the terraced landscape of the village, with distinct playful and leisurely interventions and indoor and outdoor spaces that overlooked the mountains.

Zhi’s core concept for the residential design is inspired by German painter Lucas Cranach the Elder’s 1546 painting, The Fountain of Youth. “The first time I saw the image of The Fountain of Youth, I thought of the outdoor bath the clients wished to have in the new building. However, what captivated me was the way an artificial object inhabited the natural, wild context,” conveys the Chinese architect. The square, sunken basin against the barren landscape of the village embodies Zhi’s perception of the painting. “In the context of the site, all existing buildings collapsed like ruins and wild plants took over the rooms and yards. The new building, designed in a regular form with a 4.5m x 4.5m frame, provided a new order in the chaotic environment. The frame seemingly became another layer merged on the top of the original one and in that way, the site underwent rebirth,” he adds.

A limited budget allowed approximately 300 sqm of overall construction on the 700 sqm site. Taking advantage of the large site area and considering the neighbouring buildings, the architects divided the private residence into two major masses and introduced several semi-open spaces in dialogue with the courtyard architecture. A square grid of 4.5m informed the scale of the spaces, which was thoughtfully manipulated to maximise natural light across spaces, offer uninterrupted views of the mountainous region and eliminate sharp corners to soften and create a visually harmonious presence within its context.

“The design of House of Bluff focuses on a straightforward approach to structure and upkeep,” states the studio on the design approach, which is centred around effective contextual response and comfortable yet affordable living. The residential architecture of the building exudes a rustic charm with reused stone from the existing structure, which complements the new exposed concrete frame built. In addition to reducing the cost of infill material and waste disposal, the reused stone architecture lends the building a unique texture, which is preserved by using an internal insulation system.

The two toon trees divide the site into east and west wings, connected by a sub-level corridor on the inside, separated by a semi-open activity area and two courtyard designs. The entrance to the courtyard house is through a narrow corridor, which leads to the upper level of the west wing after a few flights of descent. The narrow entrance balcony of the west wing offers access to a metal slide guiding towards the courtyard as well as a linear staircase design that descends to the double-height area for shared activities such as lounging and dining. Other spaces on the lower level include a guest room, storage space, utility areas and the warm, inviting kitchen with high windows that frame views of the mountain. A concrete island acts as a centrepiece in the kitchen, built around two columns that support the sunken, outdoor bath above.

A spiral staircase in the shaded outdoor activity space leads to the terrace above, which boasts panoramic views of the natural landscape. The east wing of the building features three bedrooms on the lower level with minimal residential interiors and an expansive guest suite on the upper level, which is connected to the entrance corridor through a bridge. The metal shade at the guest suite’s entrance and the stainless steel eaves on the roof were added after the building was completed when heavy rains and violent rainstorms revealed the limitations of the internal waterproofing insulation.

The terraced site and limited budget were among the many constraints that the architects faced during the project. “Most of my projects are located in the rural areas surrounding downtown Beijing, all of them being individual houses for clients belonging to lower-middle-income families,” informs Zhi. As he compares and draws parallels among all his works, Zhi tells STIR, "Perhaps the context of the project facing the House of Bluff was one of the trickiest of all my projects. We had so many serious problems to overcome and every problem led us to new possibilities. The most important thing is to be honest about the real world…giving up all the principles of prior formulation, to identify the invisible trends, mechanisms or ‘forms’ that are larger than the means of design and redefine them on the site and in people’s minds.”

The interior design of the house features large glass windows for natural light, along with tiny square windows for ventilation. The interior settings showcase minimal design, with the warmth of wood and beige tones that contrast the raw and rough exterior of concrete architecture. The contemporary architecture of the House of Bluff facilitates a fluid blend of private and family-centric interior spaces, along with large outdoor spaces that embody the simplicity, generosity and a sense of connectedness of life in a village.