Header: Arch-Exist
Anshi Village in Yibin, Sichuan, China, sits behind Nianpan Mountain in a typical forested area of western Sichuan. The village is made up of narrow lanes, scattered fields and ponds, with houses and trees spread through the landscape. Shanshui Firewood Garden is located between a bamboo forest and a village pond, on a quiet site with limited views. The home designed by MIX Architecture begins with the form of a Sichuan dwelling and develops it through its space, materials and relationship with the site.
Traditional Sichuan architecture
Traditional Sichuan dwellings often use pierced timber structures, which are light, flexible and simple in construction. Their roofs have low, deep eaves that create usable space beneath them, helping with ventilation while also giving shelter from wind and rain. Built according to local conditions, these houses have developed into a particular kind of settlement, shaped by climate, materials and everyday use.
The exterior walls are usually made from local materials. They are often mostly white, with bamboo weaving and mud walls, while the lower sections are built on red sandstone blocks. Courtyards are another important part of Sichuan houses, as they form the centre of outdoor life, bringing sunlight, air and rain into the ambience of the home.
Adapting tradition to Shanshui Firewood Garden
Based on a reworking of the structure and layout of Sichuan dwellings, Shanshui Firewood Garden adopts a cross-shaped layout that gradually opens out into the surrounding ponds. At the centre, the courtyard curves through the plan, giving the building a gentle sense of rotation. The curved wall of the cross-shaped space follows this movement and ties the rooms back to the courtyard. The layout also separates the main rooms from the service areas, with private rooms, tea rooms, a book bar and logistics spaces placed in different parts of the building according to the views and landscape around them.
Firewood is closely tied to rural life in Anshi Village, with the project taking this everyday material and using pieces of different sizes across the walls. This choice also connects the building to the older buildings in the village, where exposed timber frames, mud walls, fallen plaster and shifting light are part of their unique character.
Red sandstone is used alongside the firewood, complementing each other. The stone comes from the mountains of Sichuan and is commonly used in local architecture, sculpture and household objects. Here, it is machine-cut into blocks and laid in a fish-scale pattern, giving the walls a textured surface that kind of reminds one of the roughness of firewood. The small blue tile roof works similarly, linking the timber and stone together. These three materials are different, but they all come from the countryside, are used in the countryside and help the building settle back into its setting.
The building adapts traditional construction processes to a contemporary vision, opening up the space for visitors to move along and discover the firewood walls, the curved inner courtyard and the calm circular pool.
Project information
Project Design: MIX Architecture
Design Team: Suning Zhou, Ke Yang, Qian Shi, Ziye Wu, Tao Tang, Libin Lin
Construction Design: ZHI CHENG ARCH-TECH
Structural Consultant: Shanghai Yuangui Architectural Structure Design Office
MEP Design: Ruiwen Engineering Design
Construction Consultation: Qinhao Wen
Lighting Consultation: Lumia Lab
Client: Yibin Cuiping District Agricultural Development Investment Construction Co., Ltd
Location: Anshi Village, Lizhuang Town, Cuiping District, Yibin, Sichuan
Date: October 2021
Area: 1100㎡
