Category B-4: Public Amenity Social and Cultural Buildings
Honorable Mention
Award credit: Paul Peng
Location: Beijing, China
Photography: Culture-Mao Disheng, IAPA Pty. Ltd.
Calm Hill, located at the foot of the Great Wall in Beijing, China, reflects poise and attitude with a serene composure that imparts a vibe of tranquility; almost as if it is “giving time back to life.”
An introvert architecture pays homage to the compelling geographical location of the site as an extrovert architecture demonstrates a “lifestyle attitude” hinged on contemporaneity and flair.
The architect breaks known conventional modes of conveying the information, such as simply through objects and pictures and instead, tells the story through cultural bonds and the building’s interaction with the land. Locally sourced materials, such as charred timber, mao zhu (native Chinese bamboo), and schist stone spotlight the local culture of the area and create an environment with rich perspectives and immersive, multisensory experiences, while apertures in different dimensions combine to connect people to the various scenes in the space that are displayed in disordered fragments.
The “half” design concept divides the architecture and landscape into two parts, playing on the interaction between the building and the landscape. Each leaves room for the other, but with restraint. Looking back at the building from the middle of the field, the house floats on the rice spike. The diagonal wall is a composite strip of openings that provokes people’s curiosity, beckoning them back inside to discover more, achieving the home’s design intention—where people spontaneously venture outdoors to explore, and return back in to enjoy a well-planned multilevel sensory experience.
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