ORDOS

This 1,000 m2 villa in inner Mongolia takes inspiration in both form and orientation from the area’s traditional siheyuan courtyard houses. A perforated brick wall, following the perimeter of the polygonal site, defines the outer edge of the villa; within the wall, a rectangular house with a central courtyard runs north–south. The house’s corners just touch the brick wall, creating four different interstitial spaces, orientated in the cardinal directions, in which four discrete gardens are planted. As the exterior brick wall rises and falls and the pattern of its perforations varies from closed to open, the gardens and the house beyond are alternately concealed and revealed.

These variations provide the house with sunlight and views, but they also merge the wall with the gardens and the house, creating a series of layers surrounding the protected ‘heart’ of the villa: the ‘Hidden Garden’ in the central courtyard. Here, birch trees surround a reflecting mirror pool, and perforated wooden screens around the periphery open to the reception and dining areas on the ground floor. At night, light from the courtyard filters out through the sliding screen walls and up towards the top of the house, creating a magic lantern in the centre of the villa.
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The villa was developed as part of the part of the Ordos 100 Project masterplanned by Ai Weiwei; Habiter Autrement was invited to participate by Jacques Herzog, and developed the project in collaboration with the Swiss office SKA.

Type: Direct commission

Location: Ordos, Inner Mongolia

Brief: Private house

Client: Jiang Yuan Engineering Ltd.

Area: 1,000 m²

Phase / Status: Construction documents

Architects: Habiter Autrement / SKA

Mia Hägg / Sunkoo Kang, Jennifer Schmachtenberg

Masterplan / Urban design: Ai Wei Wei / Fake Design

Selection of architects: Herzog & de Meuron