Canton House

Canton House
courtyard. Image © Siming Wu

CANTON HOUSE

WAU Design

ARCHITECTS
WAU Design

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Lishou Wu, Xiangying Zhao

DESIGN TEAM
Ziyu Tang, Aiping Zhang

MANUFACTURERS
Flexform, Artemide, Hafele, Objekto, Studio Italia design Lodes, Bucalu, Dasso 大庄, Velux, 知木

ENGINEERING
Zhaozhi Chen

PHOTOGRAPHS
Siming Wu

AREA
240 m²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Wuchuan, China

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

The project is located in the village of Wuyang Town in western Guangdong. The owners are the parents of the architect. They hope to build a self-built house on the original homestead.

Canton House
roof. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
Ming hall. Image © Siming Wu

That can accommodate the parents and two families of brothers.While following the rural Feng Shui and customs, it’s a family house with sacrificial function.

The plan is slightly classically symmetrical, the huge roof covers most of the land.Under it is a semi-indoor "Ming Hall" with sacrificial function.

Canton House
patio. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
Ming hall. Image © Siming Wu

Which pays tribute to the " Three-Bay-Two-Corridors " of traditional local houses.The gods and ancestors are worshipped here.

The flowing indoor and outdoor spaces build a strict sacrificial system for people, gods, ancestors, and nature.

The introversive courtyard and a towering hall, create a mysterious atmosphere of "temple", pointing to the unreachable places.

Canton House
Ming hall. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
Ming hall. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
Ming hall. Image © Siming Wu

The secular daily living rooms are located on both sides of the "Ming Hall", so as to reflect people's reverence for nature and gods.

The floor slab and the wall are visually independent, creating a sense of horizontal and vertical extension respectively in this introversive architectural space.

Canton House
brick. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
suite entrance. Image © Siming Wu

Through the hidden drainage system, the elevation difference between indoor and outdoor is eliminated, and the same material of indoor and outdoor ground enhances the fluidity of space.

Light and dark, high and low, dry and wet, space is dually treated, so that the temperature difference generates airflow, the whole house has a sense of cool breeze.

Canton House
patio. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
courtyard. Image © Siming Wu

Under the roof with a strong sense of being wrapped, family members living in a hot and humid climate can experience a rare shade.


Canton House
facade. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
Ming hall. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
corridor. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
sacred hall. Image © Siming Wu


Canton House
self-built house. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
self-built house. Image © Siming Wu
Canton House
top view. Image © Siming Wu


Canton House
GF Plan
Canton House
2F Plan
Canton House
Section