Floating Cloud Township Villa / More Design Office

Architects: More Design Office
Area: 1300 m²
Year: 2021
Photographs: Zhi Xia, Xun Zheng, Zhao A, Andy He
Design Director: Justin Bridgland, Jaycee Chui
Design Team: Da Gao, Szuniang Tseng, Carlo Alberto Follo, Yabin Yao, Kelsey Alexander, Yanping Tang, Shengnan Xia, Haiyan Peng, Zhiyuan Wang, Jiacheng Que, Di Chang
City: Hangzhou
Country: China

Floating Cloud Township Villa guesthouses, designed by More Design Office (MDO) in Zhejiang Province, reimagine a set of traditional rammed-earth homes in Qinglongwu village as modern accommodations within the Fangyukongxiangsu Cultural and Creative Complex. Commissioned in 2017, the project sensitively renovates six historic buildings and introduces two new concrete structures for a bar and lounge. MDO preserved original materials where possible, adding steel roofs with clerestory glazing to brighten the interiors and provide forest views. Redesigned cobbled paths create shared spaces, while two-story concrete additions at the mountain path’s base act as a “beacon” guiding visitors into the site.

The Chinese architecture studio More Design Office (MDO) has transformed a group of traditional rammed-earth houses in Zhejiang Province, China, into a collection of modern guesthouses known as Floating Cloud Township Villa. The dwellings are situated in the village of Qinglongwu in Tonglu County, within an area undergoing transformation into a cultural and tourist destination called the Fangyukongxiangsu Cultural and Creative Complex.

Floating Cloud Township Villa / More Design Office

Commissioned in 2017, the Shanghai-based studio MDO has “sensitively modernized” six existing village buildings and designed two new concrete structures to house a bar and lounge area. “Tonglu offers the visitor a unique experience different from a traditional luxury hotel,” noted MDO co-founder Justin Bridgland.

Bridgland added, “Here we can have a closer connection to nature, to relax and unwind, free from the distractions of modern life.” He continued, “The buildings have this great sense of aging; the old walls and windows tell stories of the past through the marks and imperfections on their surface.”

The studio sought to preserve as many of the original materials and finishes of the village’s structures as possible, distinguishing new additions to ensure guests could clearly perceive the difference between old and new. The original timber roofs, too weak and damaged to restore, were replaced with steel structures that lift each roof slightly, introducing a distinctive clerestory strip of glazing beneath the eaves.

“The new roof was lifted off the existing walls to create a more generous ceiling height,” the studio explained. It continued, “Diffused light softly penetrates the depths of the space, allowing guests to view the bamboo forest from any angle in the roof, providing a continuous connection to the landscape.”

To brighten the previously dim interiors, new windows inspired by the original square openings were added. These feature thin metal frames to distinguish them from the original wood-framed windows. Inside, the original walls, doors, and window shutters have been preserved and repaired, with the rough texture of the rammed-earth walls contrasting against new partition screens and furniture. The cobbled streets linking each building have been redesigned as social spaces, creating “moments for people to come together.” The new two-story buildings, positioned at the base of a mountain path, are constructed from rough concrete to contrast with the traditional rammed-earth structures.

Large windows in the walls and ceilings of seating areas frame views of the nearby forest, turning the buildings into a “beacon” visible to visitors. “The architectural form is regarded as the rock exposed from the hillside by the baptism of water and wind,” the practice explained.

“We regard the new building as a beacon that guides travelers. No matter the direction from which people approach, it welcomes them to enter,” the designers noted.