Location: Taipai, Taiwan.

Architect: CYS.ASDOA.

A 99-year-old abandoned Sanheyuan that is now standing on the property will soon be destroyed to make way for a brand-new housing development. Before the new residential complex was built, we were asked to create a temporary welcome area.

Within the Sanheyuan’s original courtyard, a new model home for the new residential project is planned as a white object that is connected by a glazed hallway that faces both the old and the new, the past and the present. In this project, the narrative between the new and the old created a variety of intriguing angles to consider. The gaps between the present and the past appeared personal, but there is always time for more creativity in the intervals between.

A classic type of home called a Sanheyuan includes buildings that create an inverted U on three of the courtyard’s sides. spatial design experiment and as a final exhibition for the 99-year-old house, we chose to maintain the Sanheyuan. The design forms a new courtyard with fluid corridor spaces that are closely aligned to the worn-out walls and vegetation at certain points, framing the view of the old Sanheyuan with window openings and glazing to present memories of time as artworks in the new space. The design wraps around the back of the old house.