Wood Magazine - Issue 2, 2019

Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu

The sensitive topography means that all the materials had to be carried to the site manually, without the use of heavy vehicles.
Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu

The sensitive topography means that all the materials had to be carried to the site manually, without the use of heavy vehicles.
Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu

The sensitive topography means that all the materials had to be carried to the site manually, without the use of heavy vehicles.
Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu

The sensitive topography means that all the materials had to be carried to the site manually, without the use of heavy vehicles.
Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu

The sensitive topography means that all the materials had to be carried to the site manually, without the use of heavy vehicles.
Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu

The sensitive topography means that all the materials had to be carried to the site manually, without the use of heavy vehicles.

Considerate building to improve the Chinese countryside

Guest cottages in Guizhou, China by ZJJZ Atelier

A new Chinese project aims to improve the countryside and help lift small villages out of poverty by developing their tourist industry. Tuanjie is one of the places involved in the project, and the rolling landscape has always been its greatest asset. This was the starting point for the architects at ZJJZ, when they took a hillside and added 10 guest cabins, whose quiet design combines with the setting to provide visitors with a moment of peace and harmony. The architects wanted to create a sense of simplicity and therefore chose to begin with three basic geometric shapes – rectangular, triangular and a combination of the two – with each little cabin having its own look, plus a frame made from a combined system of steel and wood.

The cabins are all just a single room, with wood cladding lining the interior, and to give a rustic feel, the façade is charred wood, which makes the cabins merge into the landscape and look like they have always been there.