The Small Yard is about a renovation project in the center of Beijing, China. From the perspective of the architect, Mr. Liu, and the foreman, master Guo, the documentary focuses on all kinds of hardships and difficulties in the construction process.

 

The film is structured by three clues, time, spatial and social. In terms of time, the story follows the sequence of construction, and the conversation between Liu Gong and master Guo was introduced. In terms of space, the film extends from the courtyard itself to the surrounding urban environment, and finally returns to the courtyard. Social aspect, from the beginning to discuss the contradiction between design and construction, to the hardship of the construction site environment, and then to the impact of the epidemic on the courtyard, and to discuss the individual's Dilemma and helplessness in the society. These make the small yard no longer a simple construction project, but a concentration of the whole social background.

 

Through this documentary, people can rethink the sociality and complexity of architecture. Compared with the traditional perspective of architects' personal heroism, The Small Yard is an anti-elitism architectural documentary. Architects are just one part of it. Workers, surrounding environment, city, society and even epidemic situation are all integrated into the formation process of the small yard. In the end, the small yard is no longer a simple product of design, but a result of various factors.

 

At the end of the documentary, among the snowflakes falling in the sky, the construction is still going on, which also indicates that the story of the small yard will continue, and the formation of the building has no end…