Britain has its Victorian terraces, America an endless sprawl of suburban bungalows and China has courtyard housing – a building style considered by many to be the epitome of Asian architecture. As China undergoes rapid urbanisation, skyscrapers and megacities are emerging faster than many predicted, yet despite this shift to a dense built environment, courtyard housing remains as prominent as it has done for hundreds of years.

These courtyard residences have been popular in China since the Yuan dynasty some 800 years ago, so what is it about their design that has generated such prolonged success?

Whilst each courtyard house differs, similar design elements exist within each one, with most serving the purpose of providing privacy to those living within. Most of the houses are designed so that the building’s features aren’t visible when looking through the front gate, and often feature a brick screen in the entrance area to further block views. This, combined with a lack of windows on outside facing walls, means residents of courtyard housing are guaranteed excellent levels of privacy.

Chinese architectural firm Pei Zhu consider privacy to be one of the most important elements of courtyard housing, along with the provision of daylight and space. Their recent project in Beijing involved renovating a 200 year old courtyard house into a contemporary home suitable for the lifestyle of a modern Chinese family whilst also respecting the heritage of the building.

By restoring the ancient materials used in the building and introducing walls of glass, Pei Zhu were able to emphasise the history of the building, increase the visual prominence of the courtyard, and give a modern feel to a building two centuries old.

Australian firm Chenchow Little Architects also recently built a modern courtyard house, but unlike Pei Zhu, this was an entirely new building. The design of their Szirtes House pays tribute to the Asian architecture that inspired it through its U-shape design, and also features a Japanese maple tree in the central courtyard. Floor to ceiling windows throughout the internal walls act as a key element of the modern design, and allow the clients to keep an eye on their children wherever they are in the building.

Pei Zhu and Chenchow Little Architects have both been able to create modern, functional buildings that take their inspiration from ancient design, with both buildings demonstrating how one of China’s oldest architectural styles remains just as relevant today as it did during the Yuan dynasty.

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