The Roof House is an extension of a vacant rural home at the foothills of the Great Wall of China, a mere 60 kilometres from Beijing’s city center. Charged with the project, studio guò bàn ér’s co-founder Sun Min says, “Creating an airy main space which provides flexibility for a wide range of living activities was key.”
As a result, the existing dwelling received an additional 120 square meters of living space, aligned with the garden. Lovely pitched roofs with skylights slant downwards, combining high ceilings and more intimate volumes in the home’s core social areas. The previous windowless garden-facing façade was refitted with sliding glass windows that connect the interiors to an outdoor wooden deck. On one side of the living area is a contemporary fireplace cut horizontally into a white wall. The all-white space is softened by the presence of wood elements, black cabinetry, and a mix of traditional and contemporary pieces and decor.
The Roof House offers a new model in the context of rural residences typically left as empty shells in the outer areas of Beijing. “We enjoy giving a vacant house a second life, transforming it from a dwelling with inflexible spaces into a place of active living,” co-founder of guò bàn ér Christian Taeubert adds.
Photography © Boris Shiu for guò bàn ér