Location: Qinglongwu, Tonglu County, China.

Architect: More Design Office.

Qinglongwu, a Tonglu centennial village, is where Flowing Cloud Township Mansion is situated. In 2017, MDO received a request to remodel six pre-existing village homes so they could be used as guest cottages, a reception area, a bar, and a restaurant. MDO’s concept was to transform a historic building into a modern rural getaway that honours regional tradition and culture by carefully renovating it with local craftspeople, materials, and methods. Guests will have the ability to unplug from their hectic urban life and discover a natural setting. The retreat will give locals new job prospects and the chance to share their unique cultural history.

The rammed earth walls, old windows, and doors that already exist have all been preserved and renovated. The treatment of new components as contemporary additions enables visitors to understand the link between the old and the new. II. To produce more typical ceiling heights, the deteriorated roofs were lifted and reconstructed using conventional methods and materials. Visitors may view the bamboo forest from any point in the room thanks to the creation of a clerestory window that allows diffused light to enter the interior. III. New metal frame windows were added into the walls, mimicking the random pattern of the existing timber windows, to brighten the dismal interiors.