AZL Architects has completed Song House, a concrete five-bedroom house adapted to the needs of its elderly and infirm occupants in the rural village of Nansong, China.
The three-storey countryside residence was designed to provide comfort and accessible living conditions for a couple in their 50s. It is also home to three older family members, a number of whom sometimes need to use wheelchairs. There are also guest rooms for the couple?s daughter and husband and their daughter.
The house was designed to be accessible and appropriate for all members of the family with an external wheelchair ramp giving access to the first floor bedrooms.

AZL Architects designed the house around an open-topped central space that alludes to those found in traditional farmhouses in villages. "Rural settlements have been underestimated and neglected in its resourcefulness and values," explained Zhang Lei, who founded his studio in 2001.
"The natural humanistic values of rural settlements need to be reactivated through new production cycle and lifestyle."

A total of five bedrooms branch outwards from the central courtyard, which became the centre of activity in the house.
"The bedrooms form an interconnection of independence, privacy, and publicity, as well as a sense of ritual and a sense of belonging," said Lei.

The activity of the elderly mother was focused on the ground floor. Her bedroom is located adjacent to the living area, with small openings in the sepa...