Li Eaves, a Flower and Plants Shop / Raw Architecure Studio

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Directly facing the Present (about the Choice of Construction Form) -The residential building where "Li Eaves" belongs was built in the 1980s and 1990s, with the typical appearance of that era——simple and unremarkable in design. It also has traces of residents' additions, repairs, and government renovations in different periods, presenting a visual state of randomness and disorder. The most direct response to the construction is to avoid touching the original building too much. Meanwhile, in terms of visual presentation, we aim to create a warm ambiance with a certain affinity and crafted look to respond to the spatial scale and visual density of the traditional lane environment.This is a spontaneous attempt at street interface renewal, and it is also a positive environmental renovation of urban micro-public spaces. At the same time, we also hope that through the method of using industrial materials and handcrafted production, we can provide a certain professional demonstration for some self-renewal construction activities.Li Eaves: The ancients built a pavilion shaped like a bamboo hat on a rural road every ten miles that shelter pedestrians from wind and rain, and shade from cold and hot. So "Li" reminds people of its function of providing shelter from rain and sun. Eave is the main architectural construction style for this design. "Li Eaves" was named by our friend Zhou Bo for this project. We have been invited by our friend Yuan Hua who has newly taken over a Flower and plant shop. The storefront left by the previous owner already possesses a certain visual quality. The main demand for a new storefront is to provide shade for the flowers and plants placed outside, protecting them from the intense direct sunlight in summer. At the same time, it is also hoped that a small corner for rest can be created under the enclosure wall next to the shop.The shop is located in Ji'e Lane on the south side of Zhujiang road, the central area of Nanjing's main city. Ji'e Lane is a traditional street space inNanjing, with shops lining the ground floor of residential buildings on both sides. In recent years, with the popularity of trendy shops, the stores at both ends near Hongmiao and Taiping North road have been constantly upgraded and renovated. While, the shops in the middle of the lane are mostly hardware stores, and groceries, which are of low quality and outdated in terms of business. However, they are mostly run by the house owners who are very familiar with each other. The lane is filled with a relaxed and vivid daily life ambiance. Reading City is a part of our team's daily work. Also, we do some design practices in small-scale urban renewal. In this case, we attempt to renew the storefront within 3 days in a DIY way, which would be an interesting renovating construction practice.Joints Density and Visual Perception -The warm texture conveyed by the wood complements the natural ambiance of the flower and plant shop. We chose small cross-section short components to increase the number of joints, hoping that pedestrians can fully perceive the texture and granularity of the components at a close distance. Enhancing visual retention helps to convey a warm and relaxed ambiance more vividly. The overlapping timber beams stick out layer by layer for the end joints of the cantilever beams, which are reminiscent of the unique charm of traditional Chinese wooden structures. After the completion of "Li eaves", it gained the favor of the neighboring residents, attracting many passersby to stop and take photos. To some extent, the new construction adds vitality and improves the original environmental quality of the lane.Industrial Materials and Handcrafting -To achieve the goal of rapid and independent assembly, we chose a timber structure system that is easy to manually build. All structural timber components have the same cross-section, which is commonly available in the market. The components are pre-cut by the manufacturer according to the drawings and assembled on-site using bolt connections.The production of the sunshade panels also benefits from industrial manufactures. Each sunshade panel consists of a main and a secondary frame, with the secondary frame wrapped in bamboo weaving fabric and then fixed to the main frame. The main and secondary frames are custom-made at an oil painting frame manufacturer, with accurate size and shape, and reliable joints, which effectively reduces the difficulty of on-site assembly, saves time, and keeps the cost under control.The concept of the form originates from its functional requirements: overhanging and shading. The flower and plants shop was originally built using the enclosing wall and the courtyard of the residence building. Its roof and facade do not have the structural capacity to support direct attachment. The direct response to the current situation is to take root from the bottom of the second-floor balcony of the main building over the existing signboard. After the overhanging part is completed on the top of the signboard, the shading elements naturally adopt a way of downward hanging. Thus, the form logic of "Li Eaves" is generated.