Before & After: Curving Glass Walls Give This Traditional Beijing Home an Otherworldly Appeal

A derelict courtyard residence gets revitalized with a sinuous, glass-walled pathway.

When Beijing-based firm ARCHSTUDIO first encountered this traditional residence in an old neighborhood, it "presented a bleak view," says the firm. The home, a siheyuan, is of a typology that typically comprises four buildings surrounding a courtyard. This particular property had seven pitched-roof buildings and three courtyards, but the former were dilapidated, the latter overgrown and filled with construction debris.

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Melissa Dalton
Dwell Contributor
Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing for Dwell since 2017. Read more of her work about design and architecture at melissadalton.net.

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