TAOA: Winner of World Design Awards 2024. This project involves the renovation of an old building nestled deep within a forest along a coastline in Northen China, transforming it into a tranquil vacation retreat.

The existing structure features a concrete frame construction. Our renovation seeks to break the building’s isolated and enclosed facade, fostering a closer relationship between interior spaces and the surrounding natural environment. The design reconfigured the internal layout to create a new vacation lifestyle, inviting nature into the interior as fully as possible. Working within the constraints of the original column grid, we reimagined the space by treating structural columns flexibly—either concealing or exposing them—to enhance spatial fluidity and establish a new architectural order.

Three key strategies were incorporated to strengthen the connection between the building and its environment. The first strategy is reinterpreting the concrete frame structure. The former infill walls on the first floor are removed, unifying ceiling heights and extending outward to form a canopy. This canopy creates a horizontal line that penetrates the building. Above this line, a solid stone facade emphasizes the structure’s volume, while the space below opens to the landscape with enhanced transparency. The area beneath the eaves becomes an abstracted landscape belt, concentrating the essence of the surrounding environment. The second strategy is introducing an inner courtyard by selectively reducing interior floor area. The third strategy is embracing the external landscape through the courtyard wall, thus blurring the boundaries of the building.

The upper section of the building was divided into a public guestroom area and a private residence, preserving the original structure where an open-air badminton court occupies the central space. The rooftop provides diverse viewpoints and spatial experiences, inviting exploration. Outdoor staircases and ramps in the middle section serve dual functions—facilitating fire evacuation and linking the upper floors with the ground. This circulation encourages spontaneous encounters with nature as part of daily movement through the building.

The exterior walls were clad in beige stone, lending warmth in winter and harmonizing with the building’s context in Northen China. The materiality imbues the structure with a quiet, sculptural presence amidst the dense forest. The design process was striking a balance between ideals and reality, steering clear of simplistic internal determinism and superficial formalism. Through thoughtful intervention of the natural environment, the design transcended the limitations of conventional functionalism, preserving and reorganizing the original structure while layering new dimensions of logic. This approach enriched the building’s character and identity, breaking away from rigid, closed typologies to foster openness toward nature. At the same time, it retained the robust, grounded essence of northern architecture, achieving a harmonious integration between architecture and the natural landscape.

Project Details:-
Firm
TAOA

Architect
Tao Lei

Project Name
Resea｜Chic Space

Project Category
Hospitality Built

Team
Chief architect: Tao Lei; Design team: Tao Lei, Chen Zhen, Meng Xiangrui, Tao Ye, Cui Xiang, Zhang Mengying, He Xiaotian, Gao Wenzhuo, Liu Hong (Internship)

Project Location
Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province

Country
China

Photography ©Credit
Tao Lei

Officially known as Tao Lei (Beijing) Architecture Design Co., Ltd., TAOA was established in 2011, originating as a personal architectural studio founded by Tao Lei in 2007. Since establishment, TAOA has gained a wide reputation in the architecture field. The company’s works have been widely recognized and published both domestically and internationally. TAOA has won numerous awards, including the WA Awards for Chinese Architecture (WAACA) 2010, Gold Winner and Excellence accolades of Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards, nomination for the China Architecture Media Awards, shortlisted for UED Museum Design Award and ranked 10^th in the China Architecture Ten Years selection. Notably, TAOA won another WA Awards for Chinese Architecture in 2012. Additionally, in the same year, Tao Lei was nominated for Young Architect Award by the China Architecture Media Awards. Under the invitation of Phoenix Publishing & Media Group, TAOA’s first book, “In and Out”, part of Modern Architecture in China 70 Series, was published in 2012.

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