Text description provided by the architects. In a corner of Changning District, Shanghai, several old roads encircle the former residence of Li Hongzhang’s mother, where the surge of urbanization collides with the suburban texture of the former concessions from the first half of the 20th century. Like the front where fresh water meets sea water at the confluence of a great river entering the ocean, modern-style old houses stand side by side with high-rises of various generations, displaying a rich and towering cross-section of urban landscape. Fragments of history mingle with bits of everyday life, presenting a complex and mixed daily scenery.
Our friends have been running a community club in the “former residence” for over three years, recently took over a vacant street shop left by a neighboring tailor, which is a self-built wooden bungalow from the 70s leaning against the wall. They hope to provide a teahouse in the bustling city for friends to rest, doubling as a community outpost. Meanwhile, due to rental uncertainties, they prioritized cost-efficient solutions and retained the possibility of being dismantled and relocated. Compelled by the high spatial costs of urban environments, a reality emerges where high-density, efficient space sharing coexists with a blend of uncertainty and creativity, evolving into a focal point of our ongoing exploration.
When we took over the site, Shanghai’s plum rain season had already penetrated the dilapidated roof. Opting against full renovation, we merely replaced decayed purlins and rafters for safety, and relaid the original tiles to preserve a seamless blend with the neighboring shops. Meanwhile, a nearly frameless large pane of glass was pushed out to the boundary line between the site and the sidewalk, reflecting a sharp facade feature amidst the blurred street boundary. On either side of it, we positioned a pair of tea glass doors, one large and one small, ingeniously merging them to shape an adaptable interface that transitions smoothly from intimate to communal, serene to bustling—catering to the dynamic flow of people in myriad future contexts.
The materials involved in the project are inexpensive and readily available, yet they have been meticulously detailed and translated to retain their natural color tones and raw textures, lightly attaching to the site full of scars like pieces in a collage game. We wrapped the roof and eaves with agricultural greenhouse film; inserted the south-facing windows with multi-layered, semi-transparent sheets to create movable windows that discreetly cover the unsightly illegal structures in the back alley. Soft connections between materials, such as the dry-mounted wall shelves and floor system, landscaping pebbles under the floor grating, and self-developed 3D printed modular furniture, also reflect this approach. New and old components participate together in the circulation of information and cultural expression, with the teahouse’s indispensable Oriental essence lingering beneath its functional representation, providing visitors a sense of belonging both familiar and unfamiliar.
In the creative process, we embraced a spirit of diminishing purposefulness, infused with a hint of whimsy, in our approach to spatial interventions. We frequently ponder: How materials and construction can act as nuanced communicators, navigating environmental contradictions and uncertainties to reshape spaces in a way that evokes profound emotional experiences.
