ZJJZ Architecture Practice 休耕建筑工作室

The Seeds Wood Houses

The Seeds Wood Houses
aerial view. Image © Fangfang Tian

THE SEEDS WOOD HOUSES

ZJJZ

ARCHITECTS
Zjjz

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Yuying Kate Tsai, Xuanru Chen, Sean Shen

CONTRACTOR / BUILDERS
HXP Planung GmbH

STRUCTURE CONSULTANT
XIE Technologies

CLIENT
TREE WOW

PHOTOGRAPHS
Fangfang Tian, Tree Wow

AREA
60 m²

YEAR
2020

LOCATION
Jiangxi, China

CATEGORY
Hotel

Text description provided by architect

When this project began, the client wanted the buildings to be designed based on a form found in nature.

The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image © TREE WOW
The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image © TREE WOW

Instead of creating merely imitative forms, however, we focused on developing the spatial experience by staging views and establishing the relationship between the structures and their surrounding environment.

Eventually, four houses, the Seeds, were constructed. They seemed to arise from another dimension, looking nothing like we had originally planned.

The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image © Fangfang Tian
The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image © TREE WOW

Each Seed house forms a continuous, ellipsoidal surface, with a mirrored aluminum facade rising to meet pine shingles.

This mirrored aluminum cladding reflects the surrounding environment, the changing weather, and seasons.

The Seeds Wood Houses
balcony. Image © Fangfang Tian
The Seeds Wood Houses
interior. Image © Fangfang Tian

This metal surface takes on the luster of red soil in winter, green plants in spring and summer, mist when wet, and sunshine on bright days.

Like the roots of a plant, this reflective cladding anchors each house to the earth, while the pine shingles give the structures a warm, soft aesthetic, allowing the structures to blend into the surrounding nature.

The Seeds Wood Houses
interior. Image Courtesy of ZJJZ
The Seeds Wood Houses
interior. Image Courtesy of ZJJZ

According to the functional demands of these buildings, each house is designed with several circular openings to create internal sightlines branching off in various directions.

For instance, the circular hole on the front of the structure leads to the terrace, which is like a stone platform floating on independent foundations.

The Seeds Wood Houses
interior. Image Courtesy of ZJJZ
The Seeds Wood Houses
interior. Image Courtesy of ZJJZ

A tree penetrates the terrace, providing shade; a round window on the side of the building faces sparse woods, and a larger round window in the attic reveals the sky and the branches of tall trees.

Within the buildings, the interior walls of each Seed house are wood panels, and the stripes formed by the natural color differentiation of the wood further emphasize the ellipsoidal shape of each structure.

Additionally, the area behind the master bedroom contains the entrance, the bathroom, and room for storage.

The Seeds Wood Houses
interior. Image Courtesy of ZJJZ
The Seeds Wood Houses
interior. Image Courtesy of ZJJZ
The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image © Fangfang Tian

Furthermore, this space leads to an attic, providing a space for children.

The attic and the first floor are connected by an elliptical staircase that intersects the entryway to form an intriguing, carved-out space.

The Seeds Wood Houses
night view. Image © Fangfang Tian


The Seeds Wood Houses
aerial view. Image © Fangfang Tian
The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image © TREE WOW
The Seeds Wood Houses
interior. Image Courtesy of ZJJZ
The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image Courtesy of ZJJZ


The Seeds Wood Houses
interior. Image Courtesy of ZJJZ
The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image © TREE WOW
The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image © Fangfang Tian
The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image © Fangfang Tian
The Seeds Wood Houses
exterior. Image © TREE WOW
The Seeds Wood Houses
interior. Image © Fangfang Tian


The Seeds Wood Houses
1F plan
The Seeds Wood Houses
RF plan
The Seeds Wood Houses
Loft floor plan


The Seeds Wood Houses
section

ZJJZ Architecture Practice 休耕建筑工作室
T +86 21 54560680
ZJJZ Architecture Practice 休耕建筑工作室
#201, No.15, Lane 647, Weihai Rd, Jingan District, Shanghai, China 上海市静安区威海路647弄15号201室