Chinese Couple Live in Seclusion in a 400-m2 House in Suburban Hangzhou

I think we should design a residence for our physical and mental health It’s the most important that you don’t often get sick living in the house Our home is located at the foot of Wuyun Mountain, Hangzhou It covers an area of over 400 m2 with a small yard The renovation took three years We used to live in the city My wife suffered from rhinitis And I became less healthy than before in recent years So we wanted to move out of the city and created a residence for our ideal life At the entrance there’s a wall with a moon-shaped hole in the middle I was inspired by the traditional Chinese belief “tian yuan di fang” You can see the square door through the round hole From the dining room The living room and the tea room are connected We use some “fake” partitions Which can be opened and closed Nowadays in the big villas One floor is isolated from another Which is not in accordance with traditional Chinese living habits Under the concept of harmony and integration I made an atrium And the surrounded it with four rooms The atrium is right in the middle The first floor is for living, reception and dining When my wife finishes cooking She can shout to me “It’s time for lunch” That’s home to me The glass rooftop at the northern side of the third floor can be opened A good building breathes Why do people living in the city still feel drowsy after a dozen hours’ sleep Because the doors and windows in an apartment are all closed And you breathe in the carbon dioxide you have breathed away There’s a fanlight on each door And the air is always circulating And privacy is not reduced 6 hours’ sleep could be enough for you to totally wake up We can learn so many things from our ancestors Traditionally a house was built with local materials I smashed the bricks and tiles demolished During the renovation I experimented with them in the rural area for a year I built rammed-earth walls with them as part of the house The corridor and the rooftop all adopt the tenon and mortise structure No nail is needed and I use African teak and beech As for the foundation The house is actually built on stilts Which reduces humidity, adjust temperature And keeps insects away These are all old wisdom After years, they are sustainable construction materials We can help to keep a green planet I have been a designer for nearly 30 years I often go out on business Now I have owned such a cozy home I would want to go home even when I arrive at 1:00 am Because I feel complete peace at home I usually get up at 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning I garden, weed and get some sunshine There’s a tea room there I would then have some tea before I start working You can rarely see an illiterate in China today But there’re a large number of people Who have a poor taste, especially in residence designing They decorate their houses With western-style luxury materials They can only gain a sense of achievement in that way In fact I think when a family gather together in this place Your physical and mental health will be improved And that’s fundamental to your life