ORDOS 100 VILLA

Residential Design, 2008

Ordos, Inner Mongolia

This proposal for a 1000 square meter villa in Inner Mongolia, China is part of a development of 100 villas to be designed by 100 architects from 27 different countries. The project is coordinated by Ai Wei Wei of FAKE Design, Beijing.

Our proposal strives to create a symbiotic relationship between the landscape and the building as well as the formation of a series of spatial chasms between major programmatic blocks. In developing the spaces, the proposal begins with the simultaneous desire to minimize the overall above ground massing of the building while still providing the underground spaces with immediate access to light and air. In pursuit of that objective, we have placed approximately a third of the program below grade. In most cases, however, the excavated area is offset from the building in such a way as to reduce the presence of the building mass on the site without the experiential disadvantages of occupying underground spaces. In effect, most all of the programmatic elements underground can operate as above ground spaces with regard to outdoor access, light, and air. This placement of spaces underground is also beneficial in providing constant protection from the prevailing winds. Access to the underground area is provided by two major ramps extending from the entry point of the site. The first ramp leads to the garage for vehicular access, with the second, smaller ramp leading to the recreation area in the basement.