N o m a d i c  S t r i a t i o n

The project develops an urban residential proposal in Beijing addressing the accelerated condition of design and construction in China, whilst retaining the social character and atmosphere of the city’s traditional Hutong courtyard homes.

With optimised detour networks maximum interaction and surface area is achieved by determining paths using a field of ‘attractors’ and ‘repellers’ as entities that determine the direction of flow; These charges represent hierarchical courtyard voids, preserving the Hutong atmosphere though the network and streets and nodes which suggest organic complexity and oblique conditions.

High rise residential accommodation combined with a re-establishment of a reformatted courtyard system creates a community with a modern urban fabric which can handle the accelerating economy.

The water requirements of the site are met though elevated, meandering, non-occupiable structures scraping the cloud base and wicking water to ground level, whilst being self supporting through pressure differentials in a stack-kite formation. Providing a community bathing hub they conserve the traditional public conveniences in the Hutong, whilst also allowing for scenic views across the city.