ARCHIVE

Article from issue 1+2/2002 »Brick and Blockwork Walls«

Studio in Beijing

documentation p. 79 - 81
Architect Ai Wei Wei | Structural Engineer Fake Design |

Drafts
Floor plans/Site plan 1:500
Sections 1:500

Designed for an artist, this studio building has afloor area of 500 m2. It consists of a reinforced concrete skeleton-frame structure – left exposed internally – with reddish brick infill panels. An outer skin of grey facing bricks is drawn over the structure and articulated with a few carefully proportioned window openings. The principal element of the scheme is the two-storey-high studio space set at right angles tothe living tract. The windowless studio receives daylight solely from above via two skylight strips. The number of materials used was reduced to a minimum. According to the architects, the studio was designed and executed in a period of seven months, with aconstruction time of only 100 days.