Sino-Irish Architecture Workshop 2014

Sino-Irish Architecture Workshop 2014



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Design: Paul Kelly, Cormac Murray & Julie Molloy

© Sino - Irish Workshop 2014All rights reserved. All information presented in this publication is deemed to be the copyright of the creator or the Dublin School of Architecture, unless stated otherwise.

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ContentsIntroduction...........................................................................................04Photography of Workshop....................................................................00Group 1................................................................................................12Group 2................................................................................................28Group 3................................................................................................44Group 4................................................................................................60Workshop Partricipants.........................................................................76

3 Sino-Irish Architecture Workshop 2014

Following an initiative in 2012 by Michelle Fagan the then president in of the RIAI exchange visits took place between the RIAI and the schools of Architecture in Ireland and College of Architecture and Urban Planning Tongji University. Following this initial contact the College of Architec-ture and Urban Planning Tongji University extended an invitation to the schools of architecture in Ireland to visit Shanghai to participate in a design workshop in the town of Sha Xi.

Four schools in Ireland selected two students and one tutor from each school to travel to China. The proposed project set out to record and analyse an indigenous house type in the town of Sha Xi.

Professors from Tongji University described the context of the built envi-ronment in Shanghai and the proposed “1966” strategy to increase ur-ban area to accommodate the increasing population migrating from rural areas to the city. Over the past 30 years China has built sufficient urban areas and infrastructure to accommodate 350 million people (the popu-lation of Europe). Such a large undertaking has necessitated a some-times pragmatic view of the built environment, tutors from Tonji described

a new attitude where the historic is valued and can be analysed to inform how future development can integrate and enhance the urban experi-ence of people living in new Chinese cities. Professor Wei Cen described a particularly poetic interpretation of property boundaries based on an eaves overhang, the boundary being marked on the ground by falling rain water.

Four mixed groups of Irish and Chinese students each investigated the designated district of Sha Xi. A number of houses were visited and sur-veyed. Following the survey and interviews with residents each group made a proposal for a contemporary interpretation of the courtyard house model seeking to adapt the type to current living standards. While maintaining an already high density.

This work was carried out over a short intense period in both Sha Xi and back in the studio in Shanghai. The speed at which the students gath-ered their survey information and interviewed the residents was a credit to their determination and resourcefulness.

Introduction

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The !nal presentation took place on Tuesday March 12th. Despite the compressed time frame each of the groups quickly grasped the nuanc-es of the existing context. The challenge of populating the existing con-text was daunting and one that the students met with admirable resolve.

The exchange of ideas and working methods between the students from Ireland and China was particularly interesting and will be furthered by the return visit of our Chinese hosts in the !rst week in September.

Paul Kelly DSA


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1933 Slaughterhouse, Shanghai

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Arriving in Shanghai by motorway, we were greeted by looming electric-ity pylons, huge neon billboards with a mix of Chinese and English text. We encountered what we thought were tall buildings, later to discover these were mere foothills in Shanghai’s skyscraper landscape. The ho-tel was conveniently neighbouring the university campus which seemed bigger than all of Dublin’s inner-city universities combined.

The hotel also overlooked a construction site, where another concrete tower was being constructed, and soon would be no doubt vying with its neighbours to be the most memorable addition to the skyline. The ham-mering and drilling was a constant presence in the city, combined with the hum of traffic and blaring of megaphone advertisements.

The city of Sha Xi seemed a world apart from Shanghai. Situated about an hour away by bus, here the workshop took place between students of architecture in Ireland and Tongji University. Our task was to document the existing terraced canal houses in Sha-Xi and to come up with a pro-totype to adapt them to contemporary living.

While Sha Xi did have busy shopping streets, and even had a KFC, the quarter we were studying seemed not to have changed signi!cantly in the last two hundred years. It was a tranquil residential area overlook-ing a canal, with winding narrow streets and elegant bridges. Its shops were owned by many of the residents, with basket weavers, tea-houses, stamp-makers or traditional noodle restaurants opening onto the streets. On the surface, the buildings looked quite similar to the traditional style we had seen the preceding few days in the older quarters of Shanghai and in its neighbouring city of Su Zhou. Pitched roofs with decorated tiles and bowed timber eaves, with simple timber shutters and lime-rendered walls. When we entered the buildings we realised they were in fact quite different to anything we had experienced before.

Two to three families shared bays of !ve to six metres wide on two "oors. The houses were organised around courtyards. Here every family could interact, and there was a constant feeling of being observed by some-one else from an adjoining balcony or window. As our Chinese col-leagues conversed with the owners, who were more than enthusiastic

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about showing us around, we heard interesting stories of the houses being altered over time by family rifts, or a rise in fortune leading to their expansion upwards or outwards.

Many functions were condensed into one space, with single rooms often accommodating dining areas, living, sleeping and toilets. The houses were designed with a practical understanding of the constraints of timber construction: every dimension was determined by the structural capacity of the timber posts and beams. The buildings were cleverly organised to capitalise on natural light and ventilation and at times employed subtle methods of concealing views to provide degrees of privacy.

We had two days to survey the existing buildings, but in reality could have spent much longer. What we were able to produce was a snapshot of the way the people used these buildings and how the architecture has evolved over time. We developed different strategies on how the build-ings could be conserved; accommodate a denser population; become more "exible to changing needs and how they could re-engage the wa-terfront.

With the Irish and Chinese lecturers, together with visiting critics from around the world, we had a thought-provoking debate on the existing fabric, and the ethics of an architectural intervention in the area.

Returning to Shanghai from Sha Xi, my !rst instinct was to think that the city had been infected by consumerism and that this had eroded much of its history and culture. However, on scratching below the surface there still are many intriguing examples of architecture from the last one hun-dred years to be found caught between skyscrapers and landmark de-velopments. One example of this is the Li Long, inner-city brick terraced housing, which propose interesting ideas about collective living and still maintain a sense of community in the city.

Our brief visit to China opened our eyes to a rich, varied tradition and culture and proved to be an enriching experience for all involved. Sincere thanks to the University of Tongji, the RIAI and all who helped make this happen.

Cormac Murray DSA


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Cormac Murray, DSAJulie Molloy, DSAYU Shiyang, Tongji ZHANG Lingji, Tongji

The project aims to create a sensitive, restrained architectural response to the traditional terraced courtyard typology. The proposal provides a greater "exibility and can cater for a higher occupation density.

The project was derived from an intense survey and detailed analysis of the existing context. The residence surveyed occupied two bays and catered for two families. After examining the architecture it became evi-dent the buildings had been adapted over time to changing needs of its users. These extensions had in some ways diluted the original typology, with the overcrowding of courtyards and reduction of daylight potential.

There was a blurring of public and private boundaries in the residence. The !rst courtyard was easily accessible by the public, and the second was shared between both families. While the !rst courtyard was closed-off, primarily serving as a light-well to the rooms overlooking it, the second courtyard was an active, social space for interaction. The shar-ing of semi-private spaces allowed for a sense of community between neighbours and an opportunity for passive surveillance.

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Group 1

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The new proposal was required to accommodate two families per bay. The project occupies the same site originally studied but is envisioned as a prototype applicable to any terrace in the canal quarter. In order to respect the street and waterfront elevation, all modi!cations are internal with the façades upholding the current style.

Each family is provided with two courtyards: one shared between all four families and one more private courtyard shared between two. The privacy was split over two levels, with one family occupying the ground "oor of each bay and a separate family occupying the "oor above them. The design allows for a greater "exibility through the introduction of a services’ spine centred between the two bays. Here all !xed elements are housed, such as storage, kitchen, bathrooms and showers. It also provides light wells and is used as a shared entry and exit point for the users. The knitting of all the !xed elements in the services spine provides a potential for lateral expansion through the party wall between spines. This wall would be constructed in the traditional Chinese post and beam manner, with the potential for rooms to be expanded by the

removal of in!ll panels.

The proposal explores the use of screening to provide a sense of privacy in the living areas, with certain louvers and screens inspired by traditional Chinese examples being employed. This means the residents can navigate through their home with a greater sense of fa-miliarity and awareness than a visitor, with certain elements partially visible or concealed.

On the canal side a south-facing jetty is provided as a communal space between residents. The Jetty, constructed in timber, is large enough to accommodate groups of people and is envisioned as a means of regenerating the waterfront as the active space it once was.


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Site Photos


Analytical Sketches

Existing Ground Floor

Group 1: Julie Molloy, Cormac Murray, YU Shiyang, ZHANG Lingji


Existing First Floor

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Existing Ground Floor

before 1930

1930-1985

after 1985

Building Evolution Circulation

Structural Grain

Natural Lighting

Privacy Levels

FAMILY 2 FAMILY 1

PUBLIC

Public

Family 1

Family 2



Existing Section

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before 1930

1930 -1985 after 1985

after 1985

Courtyard Evolution Relationship with Canal Privacy Conditions

Jetty

Shelter

Overhang


Semi-Public Courtyard

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Ground Floor Plan


First Floor Plan

First Floor Plan of Proposal

Ground Floor Plan of Proposal

Proposed CirculationFixed Spine Element

Possibility for Cross-bay Expansion

Flexibility in Plan

Possibility for Expansion in Section

Proposed Privacy Levels

FAMILY 2 FAMILY 1

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Section of new scheme

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Privacy/Screening Concept


Section of new scheme

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In the last thirty years China has built the equivalent volume of hous-ing and associated infrastructure that exists in Europe, Shanghai has a population of twenty-four million and Su Zhou, a city located two hours from Shanghai has a population of twelve million.

In early March architecture students and tutors from Ireland, travelled to Shanghai to take part in a joint design workshop with Chinese students from the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University. The College offers !ve courses including Architecture, Urban Planning, Landscape Design, Historical Building Conservation and Industrial/In-terior Design. Across these courses there are 1400 bachelor students, 1300 Master students and 400 PhD students. Ten percent of students are (Chinese speaking) foreign students. The College hosts twenty-!ve to thirty international students from schools around the world, runs forty modules in English and has approximately one hundred exchange stu-dents per annum.

The focus of the Shanghai study trip was historical housing typologies. Initially the Shanghai Lilongs were investigated. That is, a group of resi-dencies accessed by laneways that date from the mid-nineteenth cen-

tury. The spatial organization consisted of a series of east west running terraces with laneways between. The ground "oor was occupied by a range of uses from a shop, workshop, or tea house that often opened on to the lane, allowing for the blurring of busy vibrant public and private lives. These site visits were supplemented by a series of lectures.

Through the investigation of historical contracts Dr.Wei CEN spoke about ‘Narratives of Space’, the extended family living unit and the families’ col-lective efforts towards the consolidation of land, through the amalgama-tion of plots. Prof. Zhijun Wang spoke about new cities in the planning of Shanghai’s City Development System and their European in"uences and Prof. Yongyi LU spoke of the increased levels of privacy experienced when moving through the traditional narrow residential plots of Su Zhou.

A visit to these plots demonstrated that the in"uence of the traditional entrance sequence and plan were clearly evident in the design of the Su Zhou Museum by I.M.Pei.

Our study site located in Sha Xi was situated on the last remaining his-torical street within the town. The site; dating back to the early nineteenth

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century, consisted of single/two storey terraces running between pe-destrian lanes and the canal. Each long narrow plot was punctured with courtyards facilitating natural light and ventilation deep into the plan.

Multiple units; accommodating the extended family, existed within a single plot. Private activities spilled out on the street. Small business occupied the room nearest the laneway, all contributing to a lively per-formative space.

In recent years the refusal to leave historical settlements was consid-ered an act of sabotage against development.1 However with a chang-ing attitude towards their built heritage, the challenge of the fast pace of growth of current building practice in China, is to achieve a broader recognition and use of historical precedent to inform contemporary pat-terns of living and allow their rich architectural heritage regain its forma-tive role.

1. Esteve,C., Cheval,J., Lilongs- Shanghai

Orla McKeever CCAE


Conor Barry, CCAEJohn Hahessy, CCAELI Da, TongjiCUN Yan Jie, Tongji

Group 2 Through this project we aimed to design a new housing typology for the traditional Chinese town of Sha Xi. The town is located just an hour from Shanghai. Most of the tradition architecture of the town was demolished over time to make way for more recent develop-ment. However one street of authentic canal houses still remains. The street is approximately 200 years old and is made up of cob-bled streets and narrow, terraced houses establishing a stark con-trast to the countless skyscrapers that dominate the city’s skyline.

In the few days we spent in Sha Xi we undertook a detailed sur-vey of an authentic house, one of the few that hadn’t been signi!-cantly altered form the original layout. The existing typology con-sists of long, narrow houses stretching from a quiet river that runs parallel to a busy pedestrian street. The plots range from 3.3 to 3.6 meters in width and varied in length from 15 to 25 metres.

Each house was punctuated by two courtyards, establishing an inter-esting dynamic between internal and external spaces as you moved further into the plot.

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In our analysis the need for "exibility was what stood out as the most important requirement for any future design. By talking to the own-ers of the house we compiled a wealth of information on the evolution of the house over the years. Various familial difficulties and periods of war resulted in both the layout and ownership of the house being changed, with occupation moving across to the adjacent plot. We aimed to both accommodate and encourage this adjustability in our scheme. To accomplish this we chose to make use of the traditional timber post and beam structure that was used in almost all of the houses on the street. This would allow for houses to expand into neighboring plots over time by knocking through the in!ll panels between the timber posts. The outdoor corridor that usually connected the !rst courtyard to the street is continued to the second courtyard on the ground "oor, as well as on the !rst "oor where the route becomes an elevated walkway. By mov-ing all circulation to the outside we allowed for two families to have com-pletely separate private areas that would be accessible without having to pass through areas belonging to the other family – a move informed by

our study of the house’s evolution over the last two hundred years. This al-lowed for the "exibility of habitation, for the contraction and expansion of the family from one to three units within one bay. Over time the intention would be that this growth could also expand to the neighbouring bay if required. We also designed a "exible kitchen that could be moved from inside to out-side depending on the weather. The intense summer heat makes cooking indoors almost impossible. Therefore, by designing a kitchen that could be easily moved to the outdoors provided a cool, naturally ventilated, shaded area that would be much more comfortable for cooking in summer months. The introduction of an additional outdoor space on the river establishes a much more intimate connection with the water and has the potential to tie two or more houses together with a shared pathway, hidden from the street. This area is connected to the living/dining area by a simple staircase and could be used for washing clothes, planting or general storage as well as a pleasant south-facing terrace on which to relax.


Existing Ground Floor Plan Existing First Floor Plan

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Site Analysis


History Timeline - Evolution of the House

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History Timeline - Family Occupation


Street Analysis - Flexible Relationship

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Canal Analysis - Public, Semi-Public, Private Space


Existing Structural Analysis and Materials De!ning Spatial Analysis

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Concept Diagrams


Concept Development

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Flexible Diagrams

Expansion and Contraction of Family UnitKitchen Flexibility - Internal to External


Plan Proposal

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Section Proposal


Students of architecture and their lecturers, from DIT, WIT, UCC and UL visited Tong Ji University, Shanghai, in March of this year at the invita-tion of the Department of Architecture, Tong Ji, and organized through the R.I.A.I. The purpose of the visit was for the students from Ireland together with their Chinese counterparts to work on a project in Sha Xi Canal Town.

By way of introduction to China and Shanghai the Irish group were treated to a tour of the city and the University. For the !rst three days we were based in Shanghai and then moved to Su Zhou, a canal town about one and a half hours drive from the city. This town, I have no doubt, is a tourist attraction in China and while there we visited the recently built Su Zhou Museum by I.M.Pei and a number of traditional Chinese gardens such as ‘The Humble Administrator’s Garden’ and ‘The Lingering Garden’.

We then moved to the town of Sha Xi and the project began in earnest. We were based at the house of Mr. Wu and spent 3 days in the town. The project required the study of the traditional Chinese courtyard

house for an extended family. The students were asked to choose a site on the canal in the old town and to develop a design for a new house suitable for 4-6 families based on the traditional typology.

There were four groups, each consisted of two Irish and two Chinese students. Each group chose their own site and over the next 3 days in Sha Xi and the remaining 2 days of the visit, in Shanghai, they began the work towards a concept leading to a design for the new house type. The project continues after our return and will be completed when the Chinese students with their professors visit Ireland in September, where a !nal presentation will be made.

As this was my !rst visit to China and indeed to the East, I found the trip very rewarding. The potential for student exchange, staff exchange and indeed work experience for our students is enormous. At WIT we have an exchange programme with architectural students in SIT, Shanghai, and it was important for me to get some idea of where the students come from and their cultural background.

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The hospitality shown to us was second to none. The staff at Tong Ji were extremely generous in giving their time, and every effort was made to make our stay comfortable, interesting, culturally rewarding and above all fun.

Harry Bent WIT


Group 3 Arriving in Shanghai we were struck by the scale of the City. On our travels from Shanghai to Suzhou and on to Sha Xi we were amazed by the journey which took over two hours but we never felt like we had left the City.

High rise buildings and urban developments extended from City to City to town. It was like nothing we had seen before. Along our journey we visited houses that gave us the feel for the typical life of a traditional Chinese family. From the Li Long houses of shanghai with the vertical emphasis and narrow streets to the family home of a Chinese colleague which was arranged around a courtyard and sparsely decorated and furnished. The people we visited lived a much simpler life and did not gather possessions like our European counterparts.

From conversations with our Chinese colleagues it was clear that there is a divide in china from the young people in"uenced by western culture wanting to live in comfortable apartments in desirable locations in the Cities, and the older generation that clings to traditional values and live in traditional typologies just like the site of our study Sha Xi.

Warren Flavin, WITKeith Cleere, WITXU Wei, TongjiXU Xu Feng, Tongji

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Sha Xi is a typical arrangement of canal town housing. Narrow sites sit in terraced streets with public functions such as shops, noodle houses and tea rooms facing on to the public street with houses for up to 3 families extending back to the canal at the rear.

With our Chinese students we set about to explore the compound and choose a site we felt was typical of the street. Our aim was to make our proposal as universal as possible so it could be repeated along the street with ease. We chose our site and !rstly set about surveying the house and interviewing the occupants about the way in which they use the space. We observed them going about their daily tasks such as cooking and preparing food.

Our initial steps towards a concept for inhabiting the site were tentative. Trying to come to terms with the culture of these people was more im-portant to us than trying to provide them with a European idea of living. We wanted to take the important elements of the existing houses, such as the shop and noodle house, the courtyards that allowed interaction

between occupants and the cooking and food preparation areas and re-imaging them in a manner that would allow "exible use of the space.

For the access from the public street that would extend back to the canal edge we thought of the zigzag bridges of Suzhou gardens. The zigzag arrangement causes a natural slowing as you progress through the site. Public/semi public space is arranged along this path and occupants can observe and interact with neighbours as they desire. Much like the public street where ground surfaces and paving types de!ne public and semi public space. We thought of "exible ground "oors with a !xed cooking area, all other space around this could be arranged as the occupants required.

We found the workshop to be an amazing opportunity and experience. We look forward to further exploring these ideas when our Chinese col-leagues visit us in Ireland.


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SKETCHES OF IMPRESSIONS OF

CHOSEN SITE

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Ground Floor Plan First Floor Plan

BUILDING ANALYSIS


Analysis of existing Lighting Condidtions

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Analysis of Use of the space

Possesions are limited to the bare sessentials


Ground Textures de!ne how people use the space

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Analysis of Textures on the site


Existing Condition of Stepped upper "oors as a device to aid solar gain and combat overlooking

Structural Analysis

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Ground Floor

First Floor

Section

First steps towards a concept of habitation


Zig-Zag Bridge of Shuzou Garden

Zig-Zag Circulation route in initial concept

Zig-Zag Circulation route.slows transition through spaceaids interactioncreates privacy by not allowing look through entire scheme

Flexibile spaces / communal living

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Zig-Zag Bridge of Shuzou Garden

Zig-Zag Circulation route in initial conceptZig-Zag Circulation route.

Space within this area is de!ned by ground textures.walking routes, semi public seatign areas and public interaction areas all de!ned by the paving used.Ground "oor of housing units will be "exible spaces divided by screens akin to those used on the main street to screen the shop fronts


With over 3,000 students in architecture, design, conservation and urban planning (1,400 undergraduate, 1,200 graduate and 400 PhD students) Tongji University has one of the largest and best programmes in China. Students have access to extensive workshops ranging from pottery and casting to light labs, 3D printing and robot manufacturing. Tongji Univer-sity is closely linked to research institutes in urban planning (about 150 registered urban planners) and construction design (over 180 staff in the Shanghai architecture branch alone, of which at least half are registered architects). Though state-owned, they are structured like commercial de-sign practices and operate on a pro!t-oriented basis. They contribute with large-scale projects (often in collaboration with foreign partners) to China’s radical transformation.

In a series of lectures Tongji professors provided a critical introduction into China’s current urbanisation programme. On the !rst days of the visit, students and lecturers explored changes in Shanghai’s urban fabric over the last 200 years: from Lilongs, the old housing stock dating back to “concession” times and iconic buildings like the 1933 slaughterhouse to the high-rise !nancial centre and Shikumen, now remodelled as an

upmarket urban quarter. An excursion to Suzhou, a town of over 4 million just west of Shanghai, introduced the group to the fast-disappearing type of canal towns typical for this region as well as to traditional Chinese landscape architecture, with the “Humble Administrator’s Garden” as its prime example.

Economic expansion and with it construction in and around Shanghai proceed at an overwhelming scale, extend and speed, following the state doctrine that “development is the absolute principle.” Rich in opportuni-ties, this also produces its innate set of challenges, from pollution and displacement to social imbalance and speculation (one third of Shang-hai’s apartment stock lies vacant). China has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and this explosive growth changes the face of its landscape profoundly. The changes of neighbourhoods and infrastruc-ture have a noticeable in"uence on the urban landscape and its use; rural landscape has disappeared almost entirely. Buildings grow rapidly without any reference to the location and the climate, and often they have inappropriate access to infrastructure. Set against a backdrop of a worldwide increase in urbanisation and climate change through ever-

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growing world population, this workshop set out to propose a local resi-dential prototype based on traditional models of sustainability.

This dynamic transformation also affects ShaXi, a small town of 100,000 inhabitants about 80km west of Shanghai that has retained some of its historic urban fabric. Unfazed by an exceptionally cold spring, four groups with two Chinese and two Irish students each spent two days surveying and sketching traditional dwellings. These tightly built-up houses stretch between a canal and a narrow street, often incorporat-ing two or three small courtyards and a shop at the front. By carefully recording how spaces are inhabited the students gained a unique and personal insight into a way of life profoundly different to Western culture, one that challenges European ideas of separating public and private spaces, indoor and outdoor uses. The students found the experience hugely exciting and responded well to the challenge of the workshop. Even if communication was difficult at times, the spirit was collegial throughout.

Adopting a critical strategy of “deep thinking – small building,” the de-

sign workshop supported an initiative by a local artist and owner of a traditional teahouse who, together with the group of Tongji architecture professors, seeks to protect and regenerate the area’s dense and vi-brant mix of local families, artisan trades and small-scale tourism.

Based on their survey of the traditionally organised houses in ShaXi, the student teams started to propose how similarly structured dwell-ings and subtle interventions may sustainably accommodate today’s smaller families and modern comfort. Back in Shanghai, the student teams presented !rst tentative results while Tongji professors and inter-national guests were invited to comment on their ideas. The students’ approaches and ideas, spanning form carefully considered analysis to bold design ideas, were well received and proved mutually challenging to prevailing cultural concepts. Due to its success this initial joint work-shop may become the model for further collaboration between Tongji University and Irish schools of architecture.

Jan Frohburg SAUL


Laura Pembroke, SAULHUANG Weixiang, SAULLI Xun, Tongji XU JIa, Tongji

Group 4 The aim of the project was to work together on eco-integration and ex-emplary housing unit concepts to accommodate for two families per bay. During the workshop in Shanghai and Sha Xi, the Chinese and Irish stu-dents familiarised themselves with the background knowledge to work on the project. Throughout the process of site analysis and design an exchange of ideas on an intercultural level was sought.

Over the past two decades, economic expansion around Shanghai has proceeded at an overwhelming scale, extent and speed. This explosive transformation also affects ShaXi, a small town of just 100,000 inhabit-ants about 80km west of Shanghai that has retained some of the historic urban fabric. Here the site for the design workshop was located. The project was consequent of a comprehensive survey and detailed analyti-cal study of the existing context. These tightly built-up houses stretch be-tween a canal and a narrow street, often incorporating one or two small courtyards and a shop at the front. By carefully recording how spaces are inhabited we gained a unique and personal insight into a way of life profoundly different to Western culture, one that challenges European ideas of separating public and private spaces, in-door and out-door uses.

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We noted the subtle provisions made that differentiated the front along the lane from the different kinds of courtyards and the connecting pas-sages. For our particular site, we discovered that the original typology of one extended family per bay had changed signi!cantly. As a result, the central courtyard had lost its importance. Although two or three smaller families might share a dwelling, integration became nearly non-existent between the families living there and the courtyard was reduced to an entry space with no other signi!cant use. We observed a different kind of logic or order in the use of spaces that related more closely to very speci!c activities. By studying the courtyard as a space, along with inte-rior spaces that connect with the courtyard we quickly determined that spaces and their uses should be more strongly connected and wanted to emphasise their potential to act as thresholds rather than boundaries.

Based on our survey of these traditionally organised spaces, we pro-posed subtle interventions to sustainably accommodate today’s small-er families and modern comfort. Taking what we learned from our site analysis we decided to re-integrate the families, to increase circulation and to maximise the use of the central courtyard, making it the pivot-

al point that family life rotates around. A shared area for preparing food and bathrooms "exibly associated with private rooms would further their integration and communication. To bridge the gap between inside and outside we proposed using soft boundaries, thus creating a de!nite con-nection and allowing the buildings to over"ow into the outdoor spaces. Room clusters are interspersed with semi-open access routes and stairs, stretching each dwelling unit across the site and over several levels and thus re-connecting the lane with the historically even more signi!cant canal. Staying within the limits of parallel boundary walls, our proposal maximised sectional relationships and opened diagonal views between the units. Subtle level changes between inside and outside would in turn create different eye levels so a sense of privacy and superiority could be felt from the people inside the dwelling looking out.

We envision that our design would act as a prototype applicable to any of the terrace houses in the compound or similar situations elsewhere. We would hope to regenerate the area’s dense and vibrant mix of local families, artisan trades and small-scale tourism.


Site Photos

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Analytical Sketches


Existing Plan & Section

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Plan Analysis


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Plans of new design

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Sections of new design


New Design: View and Concept

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Detail of New Design


RIAIRoyal Institute of Architects of Ireland

College Of Architecture And Urban Planning Tongji University

Dublin School of ArchitectureDublin Institute of Technology

Cork Centre for Architectural EducationUniversity College CorkCork Institute of Technology

School of Architecture University of Limerick

Waterford Institute of Technology

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Workhop participants

Group 1 Cormac Murray Julie Molloy YU Shiyang, ZHANG Lingji

Group 2 Conor Barry John Hahessy LI Da CUN Yan Jie

Group 3 Warren Flavin Keith Cleere XU Wei XU Xu Feng

Group 4 Laura Pembroke HUANG Weixiang LI Xun XU JIa

Harry Bent School of Architecture, Waterford Institute of TechnologyJan Frohburg SAUL School of Architecture University of Limerick

Paul Kelly Dublin School of Architecture Dublin Institute of Technology.Orla McKeever Cork Centre for Architectural Education, UIniversity College Cork, Cork Institute of TechnologyZhang Jianlong College Of Architecture And Urban Planning Tongji University Zhao Weiyan College Of Architecture And Urban Planning Tongji UniversityWei Cen College Of Architecture And Urban Planning Tongji University

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Sino-Irish Architecture Workshop 2014