07-09-2017

Modular exercises for young architects at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing

Starring:CAFAarchStudio10, Central Academy of Fine Arts,

Materials:Wood,

Chinese studio CAFAarchStudio10 was asked to hold a workshop at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. In the workshop, called "Practicing", seven students created seven modular structures out of timber, overseeing their design and construction.

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Seven young architects experimented with modular structures at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. The topic of the course held by Fu Yi, Han Tao and Han Wenjiang of CAFAarchStudio10 was the design and creation of flexible timber structures.

The seven projects to emerge from the two-month course each have a particular identity of their own, developing the theme of practicality in different ways even though the basic scheme was the same for all the architects. "Woven Mountain" plays with simple interwoven beams to create a sort of open yet private shelter. "Cloud Forest" is an abstraction of rural seclusion: a myriad of strips of wood form a space in which thought is slowed down and the soul is isolated. "Folding House" is an inhabitable box 9 metres long which can be divided into ten separate units and configured at will. "Cumulative Bookstore" is a casual little space that begins with a cross-shaped module to create ever-different structures. "Sit Together" works in the same way, creating more sheltered spaces where people can interact with plants. "The Obstacle" is a long, narrow passageway that uses the body’s relationship with space to allow people to temporarily get away from the collective space. And lastly, "Stream House" works with the duality of landscape and architecture, as both a part of the landscape and a point from which to observe it.

The students involved in the workshop worked with the architects and builders, modelling space with wooden structures with the aim of offering users a physical perception of their bodies.

Francesco Cibati

Location: China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China
Year: April – June 2017
Professors: Fu Yi, Han, Tao, Han Wenjiang
Design execution: CAFAarchStudio10
Designers: Chen Jiansheng, Liang Yan, Mo Naixin, Wang Jingxuan, Wang Tietang, Yu Jiahan, Zhang Yi
Sponsor and builder: Beijing Nansen Wood Structure Engineering Co., Ltd.
Photos: courtesy of CAFA

http://www.cafa.edu.cn/

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