Situated in Lantian Shexian, each building of this collection corresponds to a type of traditional craftsmanship in Huizhou. We translated materials including stone, black brick, white paint and wood using modern architectural language, practicing local application of on-site materials. Regional architecture originates from the re-thinking of the natural environment and local life, representing a type of cultural return. Therefuore, our design not only accomodates local climates, but also remains sensorially consistent with existing buildings.​

​

We reinterpreted the “black tile and white wall” composition — the iconic form of Huizhou architecture — to allow the old and the new to collide and merge. We wanted to diversify abstract white walls and turn them into into textured ones. Thus, we proposed the “twelve kinds of white in Huizhou” which includes white brick walls, patterned white paints, white water-brushed stones, white corrugated metal sheets, and decorative white concrete blocks. From a distance, the unified white walls and cornices give people a sense of consistency; from a closer look, each type of white has a unique texture and character, full of visual layering and complexity.​

​

We choose to use commonly used local stone material as the wall base to adapt to the local climate, protecting the structure against moisture and insects. The traditional large roof design not only shields sunlight and rain, but also forms gray space for people to freely move in-between buildings. In terms of spatial perception, the deconstruction and reorganization of the sloping roof creates a series of origami-like forms. The criss-crossed roofs form skylights, diversifying spatial configurations.