Moonlight Huotang Fireplace for Dong Ethnicity

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Moonlight Huotang is a fireplace for the Dong ethnicity located in Guangnan county, Guangxi province of China. It is the first commission project as part of the Huotang series and particularly for the group of villagers who carry on the Pipa music culture.  The unique convex shape of the ceiling enhances the sense of gathering in response to a better acoustic environment while the entry chamber provides a multifunction space as a changing room, food preparation room and confession room.

Dimensions & Packaging

main building in 5m diameter circular shape, plot size: 6m Width x 8m Depth

Tags

Community Centre, Cultural Regeneration, Fireplace, Huotang, Dong Ethnicity

Production Technology

Stone foundation, brick wall plus straw and clay plaster on the surface, CNC cut timber roof structure

Design Challenge

As a cultural regeneration project, the challenge was to enhance the local crafts such wood construction and straw weaving techniques while bringing a contemporary architectural understanding to the local community. To ensure its buildability by local craftsmen, wood construction was chosen aided by CNC fabrication to realise a unique geometry for the Huotang typology. Wall finishes and internal doors also utilise the straw weaving techniques to showcase the Dong culture. By doing so, the new Huotang seeks to ensure a contemporary relevance for the Dong culture.

Project Duration

Permanent, completion in June 2021

Operation Flow

The Huotang plays an important role in the daily life of the Dong community. As a forum, it is a gathering place of great social significance, and often the scene of diverse activities, including political discussions and debates, leisure and dinner. Deeply integrated into Dong’s lives, it is their second home. Moonlight Huotang proposal is for up to 25 people who can carry on the folk music culture to the next generations as well as a display of Dong culture for foreign tourists.

Research

Dong ethnicity has been rooted in the remote rural mountain area and increasingly disconnected from the fast-moving cities. It is part of a rural culture regeneration project as an architectural acupuncture which intends to revive the economy of a county whose young generations have moved to larger urban areas. By building specific industrial structures and social projects in relation to the Dong culture and economy, it hopes to boom in the tourism industry for a better connection to the outside world.

Inspiration

The inspiration comes from local traditional timber construction house and craft techniques developed by the Dong ethnicity. The circular typology has been chosen due to the form of gathering around the fireplace as well as acting as a small theatre for performing traditional Pipa music instrument. This has been the form of their life for many generations.

Image Credits

All images©Creative Prototyping Unit

Colors of Moonlight Huotang Fireplace for Dong Ethnicity