Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin were the pioneers of Chinese architectural history, making invaluable contributions to protecting China’s ancient architectural treasures. Beginning with the demolition story of their own home, this project explores a threatened housing typology crucial to Beijing’s history called siheyuan. More than an architectural typology, siheyuan is a lifestyle and a traditional belief system. The lifestyle embodies Confucian values whilst establishing a spatial hierarchy of social and domestic regulation.

In the 21st century, changes in policy and lifestyle and demands for densification have meant that the traditional siheyuan has become obsolete. Beijing’s radical development has seen much of the original siheyuan stock demolished, destroying important heritage and erasing urban collective memory. The living standards for the remaining siheyuan residents are unsatisfactory and do not meet contemporary needs.

Using the threatened siheyuan as a base, this project explores an adaptable typology to house existing and new residents, continuing the traditions of siheyuan whilst reconciling the conflict between contemporary demands and the protection of the lifestyle and collective memory of the original form.