Articles by Xiaohang Hou

The ChamberChurch aims to create a spatial container that both respects the past and looks towards the future. It shall provide a religious experience and secular touch. The lower part of the auditorium is divided into two parts: the semi-sunken space and the connected patio form a link to the surrounding landscape. It is embedded in the mountain and connected to the square. It is the hidden foundation on which the upper part of the auditorium can stand proud between the mountain and the water, reflecting the power of heaven and earth and spreading the gospel of creation. Looking backwards we find the archetypes of architectural associations in history. The design echoes the memories associated with them, but interprets them in a timeless modernity creating a sense of the future. The architecture integrates this duality in plan and section.

Since ancient times, Fuyang has been a treasured land sit by the Fuchun River. The restored Yangbei Lake Wetland is divided into a larger part and a smaller part in a long strip which two parts are connected by a wooden arch bridge and surrounded by a large area of water and vegetation, featuring a unique landscape and good privacy, which makes it great choice for scattered small guesthouses. The seven small houses, led by pebble plates, are distributed at appropriate intervals along the edge of the small island to be as close to the waterfront as possible, so that each has a spectacular view with appropriate distance. The island is connected by a bridge, but guests can also take boats for a different experience.

The Je Jung-Gu Community Center is a modest cultural space paying tribute to the life and legacy of the late human rights activist Je Jung-Gu. The Center, open to both residents and visitors, is located at a park bordering the Daega Reservoir in Goseong County, Sothern Gyeongsang Province. Mr. Je, a native of Goseong County, dedicated his life to advocating the human rights of the urban poor including their right to survival. He championed a communal life by practicing the values of living together and sharing as opposed to separation and ownership. More than anyone else, he appreciated the human dignity inherent to everyone. The center comprises twin single-story buildings. They feature gabled roofs, the most modest type of roof that befits an architecture commemorating a person who led a humble life.

Lieu Painting Studio is located in Xi’an’s High-Tech District. Clients want to create an artistic venue within the urbanized fabric, to meet flexible functional requests of teaching, experiencing, communicating, and exhibiting, etc. 

Daijin Village, located in Jinshan District, Shanghai, is a typical waterside village in the south of the Yangtze River. For generations, the local villagers have lived near water and made a living by fishing and farming. With the construction of the nearby Huakai Haishang Ecological Garden, the local life has also gradually changed. The increasing number of tourists called for new types of tourism. It was difficult for traditional forms of agritainment to meet the demands of tourists from cities. For this reason, creating an example and template of new forms of homestay to promote the industrial upgrading for surrounding peasants became the reason for Huahai homestay. How to fit the thousand-mu sea of flowers into the waterside village south of the Yangtze River is the entry point of this project.

Located on a pedestrian street by the West Lake in Hangzhou, Corner Pavilion is a small building designed by Dazhou And Associates for the coffee brand M Stand. The street is crowded with people and the site is defined out by three ginkgo trees, less than 100 meters from the West Lake.