Wang Weijen Architecture has transformed five vacant courtyard houses and their farmlands in an abandoned village in China into a series of patio houses for a cultural retreat.
By rethinking the relationship between the local courtyard typology and the surrounding landscape, the project updates the rammed earth construction technique by integrating it with lightweight steel construction and local stonework.

Through courtyards and alleyways, platforms and steps, ponds and woods, rammed earth and stonework, the Valley Retreat creates a new spatial quality at the intersection between landscape and architecture, connecting the material presence of the village houses with a sustainable culture of living.

This project has been longlisted in the rebirth project category of Dezeen Awards 2021.

Architect: Wang Weijen Architeture
Project: Valley Retreat: Transformation of Village Houses