Through a series of renovations and new insertions, Chinese architect Zhang Ke has transformed some of Beijing's ageing hutongs into hubs of activity.
The Micro Hutong Renewal project aims to highlight the potential in Beijing's hutong neighbourhoods
Zhang Ke and his studio ZAO/standardarchitecture embarked on the Micro Hutong Renewal project to highlight the potential in these hutong neighbourhoods ? which are largely unique to the Chinese capital, but are gradually being demolished.
The aim is to show how the traditional courtyard properties can be adapted to create resources for local communities, ranging from children's play areas to co-working spaces.
The courtyard neighbourhoods are largely unique to the Chinese capital, but are gradually being demolished "The subtle complexity of the hutong as an authentic urban space has been overlooked both by developers, who most of the time prefer to see it as a tabula rasa so that they can build more square meters, and by the defenders of picturesque historic preservation," said Ke.
The goal is to show how the traditional courtyard properties can be adapted to create resources for local communities
"The Micro Hutong Renewal projects, by avoiding the usual methods of hutong restoration, aim to explore the potential of hutongs and courtyards as a generator of communal space and catalyst of social interaction," he added.
The first project involved the transformation of Cha'er Hutong, a former temple co...