Chinese studio DAGA Architects has renovated and modernised a traditional hutong residence in Beijing's Dongcheng district, adding mirrors to the walls and floor of the entrance courtyard to make the space feel larger.
The project is shortlisted in the housing category of 2021's Dezeen Awards and represents an innovative take on the modernisation of these traditional courtyard dwellings.
The project is called Baochao Hutong Mirror Yard
Beijing's hutongs are narrow alleys lined by single-storey courtyard houses called siheyuan. The houses were often joined together to create a hutong, with several hutongs then combining to form a neighbourhood.
DAGA Architects' project is one of numerous recent attempts to revitalise neglected hutong buildings, including a hotel designed by Fon Studio and a house with curving glass walls by Arch Studio. DAGA Architects revamped a traditional hutong house
This siheyuan's owner wished to return to the house in which she was raised by her grandparents, but over the years the building had become dilapidated and was in need of comprehensive renovations.
One of the key interventions involved transforming the property's narrow courtyard, which is concealed behind a wooden door facing the street and extends through the centre of the house.
The house features a narrow mirrored courtyard
The architects installed mirrored panels on the floor and a wall at the end of the passage to create the illusion of a much larger space.
The mirrored surfaces refle...