Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village

Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Top view. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan

CONTAINER BLOCK IN HAOJIACUN URBAN VILLAGE

Bounds Plan + Ba Studio

ARCHITECTS
Ba Studio, Bounds Plan

CLIENT
Huijing Industrial Corporation Ltd.

DESIGN TEAM
Cheng Zhang, Peng Li, Zhe Chen, Siqi Ma, Jiajin Li

PROJECT MANAGER
Chao Chen

MANUFACTURERS
Baotashan Paint, Hengshengyuan, Yongan, Youfa

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Meng Yang, Hanru Wu, Chao Chen

ENGINEERING
Jiwen Pan, Chao Zhang

CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR
Shaanxi Hongxiang Curtain Wall Engineering Corporation Ltd.

LANDSCAPE
Jianyong Zhang, Jianyong Li

AREA
2100 m²

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Xi'an, China

CATEGORY
Renovation

Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Existing form of Haojiacun. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan

Text description provided by architect.

Container Block in Haojiacun Urban Village is a project carried out on the premise of “Low-Res Completion”— primitive commercial plan, limited investigation and low controllability on appearance.

We had to give up the dependence on “completeness”, and rethink the multiple meanings of our design pursuit — “order”. “Design” still finds its entry points under such circumstances.

Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Construction_units. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Tenants_ additional construction. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan

The project site lies beside Haojiacun— one of the “urban villages” formed during Xi’an’s urban sprawl. In 2010, an interrupted removal action left the 13 mu (0.86 ha) of blank land between the village and Yanta West Road. Spatially and temporally, the project sits right on the frontline of the City-Village confrontation.

Orders of the two sides are distinct, while an effective synthesis is crucial to establish the project. The design needs to setup a base structure that allocates spaces with efficiency like the city, while embraces informalities like the village.

Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Courtesy of l_atelier de LEON
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Construction_interior. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan

The Material

Used 40-feet containers (12m L/2.4m W /2.9m H) are selected as main material for construction.

We try to familiarize the unusual material through several handling acts, in order to facilitate people’s reading on space and structure.

Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Courtesy of l_atelier de LEON
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Northwest corner. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan

The Unit

A unit is a 12m×12m square block formed by 5 aligned containers on ground level and 2-3 on upper level. It resembles the house-scale, and acts as an operable tool between the site and single containers..

The Layout

A Height difference of up to 2 meters with Yanta Road is the key problem on section, and we redistribute it with three elevated terraces. On plan, the main strategy is to form three playgrounds by setting back from the street. The rooftop and terrace are easy to construct add-ons

Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Interface on Yanta West Road. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
© Courtesy of l_atelier de LEON

Three more yards are enclosed on the south side, forming a checker board layout.

Second-floor terraces are linked to ground-floor open spaces by six staircases and a corridor. As a design result, the block offers definite base-structure, readable construction logic and rich adjustment spaces.

Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
People get involved in space. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Construction_exterior. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan

These features allow it to accommodate “orders” from both the city and the village side, and incubate a new form of settlement.

Between City and Village

Soon after construction completes, the first batch of tenants— mostly from Haojiacun— moved in.

Along with their business, they brought in signboards, ornaments, furniture, add-ons, life habits and neighborhood activities, which quickly “village-lize” the block’s picture with their strong style.

Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Street view in rain. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
West Aerial, urban interface. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan

Before long, customers and tenants from the city side started to bring in different commercial forms, sceneries and social connections.

The space hard to be classified or tagged, so people starts to use and occupy it by virtue of their own readings.

Stores, corridors, terraces, steps, yards… spaces are reshaped by people’s activities and vice versa. A new kind of everyday life is cultivated there.

Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
The block becomes gathering place. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
North Aerial. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan

This unique project emerges from the lasting war between city and urban village, which used to lean to one side. Arguments for the other side— views that concerns urban fabrics, social rights, cultural diversity and others— have gained public recognition only in recent years.

Short or long, the block will exist for a certain period. It aims to fulfil its potential as a commercial development, but moreover, to vacillate the dualism of “city verses village” with its synthetic order. It explores the way toward a long-term conciliation.

Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Courtesy of Bounds Plan
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
The site was used as parking lot. Image Courtesy of Bounds Plan


Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Plan 1st floor
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Plan 2nd floor


Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Masterplan
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Sections


Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Courtesy of Bounds Plan
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Detail drawing


Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Unit composition
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Functional scheme


Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
North elevation
Container Block In Haojiacun Urban Village
Courtesy of Bounds Plan