The Community on 3rd Ceramics Street / atelier suasua

Architects:atelier suasua

Area:678m²

Year:2023

Photographs:Yumeng Zhu

Design Team:SU Xiaomeng, ZENG Xiaoming

Clients:VOYAGE COFFEE, AITA

City:Beijing

Country:China

A slowly forming community - From 2016 to 2023, we had six design projects in No.88, 3rd Ceramics Street, including architectural renovation, interior design, and installation design. Although it is located in the same plot, each renovation is relatively independent due to the different design time stages and users. Looking back at the current, design is a process of repeated collage and superposition. Due to the inability to make a unified plan, there is no essential difference between this place and other spontaneously renovated spaces in the city.

Interestingly, as time goes by, the vitality brought by this "spontaneity" gradually emerges. From an architectural perspective, the dialogue between the new and the old is happening all the time, brick-concrete structures and prefabricated slabs, reinforced concrete frame structures, and steel structures appear here at the same time. The interactive relationship between each independent space and the centripetal force toward the courtyard is also strengthening. From the user's perspective, due to the combination of functions, the interaction between different communities has increased, which has stimulated the sense of belonging between individuals and space. Although the design is bottom-up, after time, the site gradually has the integrity of space and atmosphere.

The most recent renovation - The renovation of the south wing of the factory in 2023 was the most recent one. The building is a two-story brick-concrete building located at the entrance of the site, with the south facade facing the main road of the 798 Park and the north facade facing the inner courtyard. The design task is to transform it into an independent baking studio.

We retained the original window openings on the street facade to control the sight of passers-by so that they can focus on the bread bar in the foreground and penetrate the courtyard to reach the guide wall of the coffee space, arousing curiosity to enter the courtyard. At the same time, the main entrance along the street was adjusted to the gable side, prompting guests to see the whole courtyard through the main entrance of the courtyard before choosing to come to the store.

The north facade facing the courtyard continues the renovation method of the north wing coffee space in 2016, using steel structure and large glass to replace the original red brick facade. At this time, the north and south walls that originally enclosed the outdoor courtyard are open and transparent, blurring the relationship between indoor and outdoor, and visually pushing the boundary of the enclosed courtyard space back to the outermost wall of the entire site. Big trees in the courtyard are more like columns in the entire "grand space" and become elements of the space.

Project gallery

Project location

Address:Chao Yang District, Beijing, China