Traditional hutongs found in Beijing wind in upon themselves, organically shaped by the forces around them to create nesting neighborhoods that are cozy and serene. Alleys branch off of larger alleys and even larger streets as visitors make their way deep into the heart of huge city blocks.

This new hostel project by ZAO and Standard Architecture builds on the long tradition of hutongs and measures just 320 square feet. It represents a Brualist/Modernist take on the alley-based architecture of China’s capital.

An expansion of previous hutong projects – including a co-living courtyard, library and gallery space – this hostel brings small-scale social housing into the mix.

Guests enter through a semi-public transitional space, much like the branching alleys and courtyards of a normal hutong, then enters a complex of angular architecture forms composed of concrete and glass.

A series of extruded volumes rise up slightly above the adjacent rooflines to access views, air and light from beyond the compressed confines of the site. The courtyard at the heart of the plan serves to connect it to the neighborhood, acting as a liminal zone for guests and community members alike.

“The result is an architectural operation that brings back the courtyard as a generator of the program, as it activates the building by creating a direct relationship with its urban context,” say the architects.

Combining the cheap convenience of a hostel with the outdoor access of a tent, this wheeled micro-dwelling can be carted behind a bicycle then lowered into the water for a night of floating fun.

Created by Royal College of Art (RCA) graduate Daniel Durnin, the shelter features a watertight bottom, canvass walls and operable wood-framed fenestration for viewing and circulation.

The tent-on-the-water approach renders urban lakes, rivers and streams suddenly more accessible, creating alternative campgrounds that take up no space on land. It is designed with city’s like Durnin’s own (London) in mind, places where waterways are more prevalent than unused grounds.

“I hope that the work will reawaken our connection with nature using the waterways as a catalyst and restore balance to the more networked living space that we now inhabit, not just in London but across the globe,” says Durnin.

Tucked into an historic winding Hutong of Beijing, this work of convertible architecture featuring a modular moving wall to make maximum use of flexible interior and exterior space on demand.

The so-called Humble Hostel by Chinese architect Cao Pu is a tiny 130-square-foot apartment with beds that can be rented out for just $20 a night. Its novel modular nature is a reflection of complex courtyard politics of these intertwined neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, over the centuries in China the lines have become blurred regarding ownership of communal open pedestrian space shared by the aged dwellings that surround them, attached organically over time to branching streets, paths and alleys.

In pulling back the facade of the structure, the design effectively gives space back for public use when the interior volume is not needed, creating space for seating and socializing in otherwise cramped quarters. The resulting roofed patio can host card games, a tea table, pop-up shop or temporary bar.

This prototype could herald potential applications in all kinds of close-proximity housing situations involving small-space dwellings. Future buildings might include this technology from the ground up, reshaping the way we think about architectural flexibility.

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