ZJJZ Atelier designs a guest house in the middle of a pine forest in China.
Built along a sloped, wood-paneled path that meanders through expanses of wild grass and rich red soil, the structure is shrouded by trees and rests slightly elevated above its surrounding landscape. The Mushroom's towering conical roof resembles a pine cone dropped from the branch of an encircling tree, giving off a quaint, earthy charm that obscures the line between nature and built form.
The architectural form of the Mushroom is composed of two simple volumes according to the functions.The main part of the mushroom is the guest room space, with a panoramic window set up near the viewing height. When sitting on chairs or leaning on the bed, the guests are immersed in the surrounding nature. The loft serves as a child area, linked by the small-scale stairs.
The pure white cone-shaped roof is rounded on top, creating a sense of unbounded extension to the space. The bathroom and storage space are arranged in a simple rectangular volume, which is inserted into the main body of the Mushroom.
A horizontal window is designed next to the bathtub, avoiding the view from the pedestrian path to ensure privacy, while bringing nature into the space. Meanwhile, the circular skylight at the top introduces different expressions of light and shadows with the change of time and weather.
This poetic space also serves as the entrance lobby of the house, where the guests often visit and linger. The Mushroom house adopts a lifted steel structure to minimize the impact of construction on the site. As time goes by, green plants on the ground will gradually spread to embrace the building.
The cone-shape roof is cladded with pine woods, while the rest of the house is coated with granolithic concrete. The material changes in color with humidity and time, allowing the building to harmonize with the surrounding natural environment.
