Lake Shore Studio

Beijing, China

Photo © Ruogu Zhou

Photo © Shuxian Feng

Photo © Ruogu Zhou

Office Buildings

Architects: Praxis d'Architecture

Location: Beijing, China
Year: 2012

The site for this artist studio is on lake shore where the shore starts to turn from west to south. The topography change brought a site condition in which the west and south periphery is 4-6 meter high retaining walls, leaving east open to lake view and north facing the neighbor at immediate adjacency. Implied by the characteristics of the site, we sought a piece of architecture that intimately integrates into the topography and becomes part of landscape.

Conceived as a single storey volume, the roof is stratified making way for skylight to enter the building, meanwhile affording two public paths across the building connecting road above and the water below. The stratification of volume consequently generates a rich ceiling profile for the space inside, allowing ample skylight into the studio, and providing a horizontal view to the lake at eye’s level.

In this project, the generic boundary between roof and facade is blurred, the building opens up to receiving light, welcomes pedestrians, and renders dynamic views from different directions.