DESIGN CONCEPT
Husband and wife team Mr. Pan Shiyi and Ms. Zhang Xin are the co-founders of private real estate developer SOHO China.
Commune by the Great Wall is one of their most renowned projects, exhibited at the 2002 la Biennale di Venezia, and winning Zhang a special prize for her “bold personal initiative”
The Commune is a private collection of contemporary architecture designed by 12 Asian architects, set in a shared landscape where modernism and tradition blend together.
Furniture House – Architects Statement - Shigeru Ban (Japan)
'To take full advantage of the spacious site, the Chinese vernacular architecture of the courtyard was incorporated into the plan: the main courtyard was placed in the centre of the house, and all the rooms were placed around it in a simple square footprint.
Once the plan was conceptualised, a building system then needed to be selected. I had heard that the craftsmanship of lumber construction in China had been decreasing recently since wooden buildings were in less demand today, but that the quality of furniture remained high and much of it was still being exported overseas. So, the Furniture House system I have been using for many years - a system of using prefabricated and insulated furniture for the main structural component, as well as the exterior and interior walls of the building, was chosen.
In designing this project in China as a citizen of another country, I wanted the design to respond to the cultural and physical context respectfully. At the same time, building under foreign conditions where I would be given less control over accuracy and details, I thought, would be a challenge. The design fee was also much less compared to a typical one in Japan, but a low design fee was not an important issue when given this great opportunity to explore the world of Chinese construction.
In order to fabricate the modularised furniture of the system, I needed to study standard sizes and materials of the Chinese furniture construction industry. Of course, neither the 2x4 wood stud nor structural plywood, both of which are the main materials used in previous Furniture House projects, were to be found in any of the factories I visited. Then I made an unexpected discovery- the bamboo plywood that was usually used for the framework of concrete. A piece of this bamboo plywood, beautifully finished with woven patterns on the outer layer felt as heavy and strong, if not stronger, as the structural veneer plywood used in Japan. I quickly took a sample back to Japan for testing, and as suspected, the result showed that the bamboo plywood is structurally stronger than our familiar structural veneer plywood. I thought, if it was possible to laminate strips of bamboo into plywood, then it would of course be possible to construct LVL (laminated veneer lumber) out of bamboo. That meant, bamboo could easily substitute for both 2x4 wood studs and structural veneer plywood and serve as a systemized construction method for the project. Moreover, all exterior and interior finishes on the walls as well as the flooring could be done in bamboo to ensure consistency of materials throughout the project.
FEATURES
Furniture House has four bedrooms, two with ensuites. Large living and dining areas, and open-air courtyard in the centre of the house.
The Furniture House can be used to hold parties, board of directors meetings and seminars or new product launches, small concerts or other shows and performances
LOCATION
Located in the Shuiguan Mountains amidst 8 square kilometres of private land. Commune by the Great Wall is 1 hour’s drive away from Beijing Capital International Airport, 20 kilometres away from the main train station (Qing Long Qiao station) and 50 minutes’ drive from Beijing city centre, the property enjoys an easy access via the Badaling Expressway. 15 minutes’ drive from Badaling private airport, available for helicopters (20 minutes’ transfer from Beijing Capital International Airport) and small aircrafts on the 800 metres long runway.
RATES
Walnut Valley Presidential Villas – contact Commune for availability and pricing
Commune by the Great Wall is also open to the public. if villas are not occupied by guests, visitors are allowed inside & outside, otherwise just the exteriors are open for a fee of RMB 120 per person.
Stone Valley
Standard Rooms from RMB 2500 per night
Deluxe Rooms from RMB 3300 per night
Husband and wife team Mr. Pan Shiyi and Ms. Zhang Xin are the co-founders of private real estate developer SOHO China.
Commune by the Great Wall is one of their most renowned projects, exhibited at the 2002 la Biennale di Venezia, and winning Zhang a special prize for her “bold personal initiative”
The Commune is a private collection of contemporary architecture designed by 12 Asian architects, set in a shared landscape where modernism and tradition blend together.
Furniture House – Architects Statement - Shigeru Ban (Japan)
'To take full advantage of the spacious site, the Chinese vernacular architecture of the courtyard was incorporated into the plan: the main courtyard was placed in the centre of the house, and all the rooms were placed around it in a simple square footprint.
Once the plan was conceptualised, a building system then needed to be selected. I had heard that the craftsmanship of lumber construction in China had been decreasing recently since wooden buildings were in less demand today, but that the quality of furniture remained high and much of it was still being exported overseas. So, the Furniture House system I have been using for many years - a system of using prefabricated and insulated furniture for the main structural component, as well as the exterior and interior walls of the building, was chosen.
In designing this project in China as a citizen of another country, I wanted the design to respond to the cultural and physical context respectfully. At the same time, building under foreign conditions where I would be given less control over accuracy and details, I thought, would be a challenge. The design fee was also much less compared to a typical one in Japan, but a low design fee was not an important issue when given this great opportunity to explore the world of Chinese construction.
In order to fabricate the modularised furniture of the system, I needed to study standard sizes and materials of the Chinese furniture construction industry. Of course, neither the 2x4 wood stud nor structural plywood, both of which are the main materials used in previous Furniture House projects, were to be found in any of the factories I visited. Then I made an unexpected discovery- the bamboo plywood that was usually used for the framework of concrete. A piece of this bamboo plywood, beautifully finished with woven patterns on the outer layer felt as heavy and strong, if not stronger, as the structural veneer plywood used in Japan. I quickly took a sample back to Japan for testing, and as suspected, the result showed that the bamboo plywood is structurally stronger than our familiar structural veneer plywood. I thought, if it was possible to laminate strips of bamboo into plywood, then it would of course be possible to construct LVL (laminated veneer lumber) out of bamboo. That meant, bamboo could easily substitute for both 2x4 wood studs and structural veneer plywood and serve as a systemized construction method for the project. Moreover, all exterior and interior finishes on the walls as well as the flooring could be done in bamboo to ensure consistency of materials throughout the project.
FEATURES
Furniture House has four bedrooms, two with ensuites. Large living and dining areas, and open-air courtyard in the centre of the house.
The Furniture House can be used to hold parties, board of directors meetings and seminars or new product launches, small concerts or other shows and performances
LOCATION
Located in the Shuiguan Mountains amidst 8 square kilometres of private land. Commune by the Great Wall is 1 hour’s drive away from Beijing Capital International Airport, 20 kilometres away from the main train station (Qing Long Qiao station) and 50 minutes’ drive from Beijing city centre, the property enjoys an easy access via the Badaling Expressway. 15 minutes’ drive from Badaling private airport, available for helicopters (20 minutes’ transfer from Beijing Capital International Airport) and small aircrafts on the 800 metres long runway.
RATES
Walnut Valley Presidential Villas – contact Commune for availability and pricing
Commune by the Great Wall is also open to the public. if villas are not occupied by guests, visitors are allowed inside & outside, otherwise just the exteriors are open for a fee of RMB 120 per person.
Stone Valley
Standard Rooms from RMB 2500 per night
Deluxe Rooms from RMB 3300 per night
