The Chinese Courtyard House Joe Carter, a graduate of the School of Architecture, McGill (1972) lived in China (mostly in Beijing) for thirty years (1985-2015). This presentation is in five parts, and discusses the Chinese courtyard house primarily in the context of Beijing. Part 1 is a brief introduction at the typology and construction of the courtyard house. Part 2 introduces some of the cultural, cosmological underpinnings of the Chinese courtyard house and its city setting. Part 3 looks at the above patterns as an urban spatial order. Part 4 describes some of the efforts at preservation and regeneration in old Beijing. Part 5 proposes that the courtyard is a deep-seated Eastern pattern, that is persisting and re-appearing - at a larger scale and higher density - in the residential compounds that are the basic building blocks of China’s recent urban explosion. The courtyard house was originally designed for the extended family; the new residential compound courtyards are for the neighbourhood, an emerging and increasingly self-managed urban territory and social unit.

1. The Chinese Courtyard House
Joe Carter, February 2017
BEIJING CHINA COURTYARD HOUSE

2. The Chinese Courtyard House
1. Design and Construction
2. Link Between Heaven and Earth
3. Urban Spatial Order
4. Preservation
5. The Future

3. The Chinese Courtyard House
1. Design and Construction
2. Link Between Heaven and Earth
3. Urban Spatial Order
4. Preservation
5. The Future

4. Part 1 is a brief introduction at the typology and
construction of the courtyard house.

5. Chinese Courtyard House

6. Now

10. The Chinese Courtyard House
1. Design and Construction
2. Link Between Heaven and Earth
3. Urban Spatial Order
4. Preservation
5. The Future

11. Part 2 introduces some of the cultural, cosmological
underpinnings of the Chinese courtyard house and
its city setting.

12. Zhou Dynasty (1027-256 BC), Ideal Administrative City described in Zhou Li: Kao Gong Ji
Chang’an, the capital city of the Tang Dynasty (612-900) was built using this concept.
Note there are 12 gates to the city
The Capital City: a link between Heaven and Earth
The Courtyard House as a Fractal of a Larger Idea

14. Ming Dynasty 1368 -1644 and Qing Dynasty 1644 - 1912

15. Beijing: a City Linking Heaven and Earth
The Emperor ruled, on behalf of heaven, from his place of power on the
sacred axis. His duties included praying for good harvests in the Temples
that surround Beijing..
Emperor’s Room:
Place of Honour,
Power, & Stillness

17. Beijing Old City: 2008 Olympic Site is on the ceremonial “sacred” axis.
The Olympic theme also reflects a consciousness of the link between heaven and earth.

19. Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Temple of Heaven, Hall of Prayers for Good Harvests

20. Beijing Old City: Forbidden City
Emperor’s Room:
Place of Honour,
Power, & Stillness
Five Colours Earth
Temple

21. Beijing Old City: Five Colours Earth Temple
Emperor’s Room:
Place of Honour,
Power & Stillness

22. Beijing Old City: Courtyard House
Patriarchs Room:
Place of Honour,
Power & Stillness
Location of the altar
for the ancestors
of the family.

23. Beijing Old City: Courtyard house is a “child” of the Forbidden City.
A reminder of the Heaven–Earth linkage in every home.
Patriarch’s Room:
Place of Honour,
Power & Stillness
FractalHieirarchy

24. The Chinese Courtyard House
1. Design and Construction
2. Link Between Heaven and Earth
3. Urban Spatial Order
4. Preservation
5. The Future

25. Part 3 looks at the above patterns as an urban
spatial order.

26. Large Super-Blocks
for through traffic
with narrow hutongs.
Traditonally
the hutongs were gated,
now they are open.

27. Central Beijing: Traditional Large City Blocks

28. Block Size Comparison: Beijing-New York
Beijing Suburbs
New York

29. Block Sizes
of some Western Cities

31. Drum
Tower

32. Drum Tower

35. Chinese City Pattern
The semi-public space, belonging to a group of residential buildings,
allows family activities and social interaction to occur in that space.
Residential
SPATIAL ORDER

36. Western City Pattern
SPATIAL ORDER

37. Chinese City Pattern
Western City Pattern
SPATIAL ORDER
Chinese City PatternChinese City PatternChinese City Pattern
Western City Pattern

38. The Chinese Courtyard House
1. Design and Construction
2. Link Between Heaven and Earth
3. Urban Spatial Order
4. Preservation
5. The Future

39. Part 4 describes some of the efforts at preservation
and regeneration in old Beijing.

42. Preservation Area Building Condition Analysis

43. Preservation Area Function Map

44. 1. Courtyard
Regenrtion Project:
Ju Er Hu Tong
2. The Hold-Out
Chiang Kai Shek
3. Former Temple
Three Examples

45. 1. I lived in the Courtyard Renewal Project, Ju Er Hu Tong

46. 1. Courtyard Renewal Project, Ju Er Hu Tong

47. 1. Clay Tiles on Roofs, Courtyard Renewal Project, Ju Er Hu Tong

48. 1. My children at our home in Courtyard Renewal Project, Ju Er Hu Tong

49. 1. My son in front, playing the trumpet at a Local School

50. Drum
Tower
2. Location of the Hold Out, a family that refused to participate in the Ju Er HuTong Regeneration Project

51. Drum
Tower
on of the Hold Out, a family that refused to participate in the Ju Er HuTong Regeneration Project

52. 2. Location of the Hold Out, a family that refused to participate in the Ju Er HuTong Regeneration Project

53. Beijing far suburbs: Courtyard House. Same density and house type as central Beijing

54. 1. Courtyard
Regenrtion Project:
Ju Er Hu Tong
2. The Hold-Out
Chiang Kai Shek
3. Former Temple
Three Examples

55. 3. Home of Former Temple, Now a School (1997)

56. Small Hu Tong Shop 1985

57. Small Hu Tong Shop 2012

58. On-line Courtyard, Bread and Breakfast

59. Old Courtyard House Restoration by Private Owner

60. The Chinese Courtyard House
1. Design and Construction
2. Link Between Heaven and Earth
3. Urban Spatial Order
4. Preservation
5. The Future

61. Part 5 proposes that the courtyard is a deep-seated
Eastern pattern, that is persisting and re-appearing -
at a larger scale and higher density - in the
residential compounds that are the basic building
blocks of China’s recent urban explosion. It is
suggested that the social scale has also expanded.
The courtyard house was originally designed for the
extended family; the new residential compound
courtyards are for the neighbourhood, an emerging
and increasingly self-managed urban territory and
social unit.

62. CBD
Growth of Beijing: 1949-2008
32 4 5

63. Chicago Core and a piece of old (central) Beijing

64. Beijing West: Just outside 2nd Ring Road, Russian-influenced planning, 1950s

65. Beijing North of 2nd Ring Road, 1970s

66. Shanghai, 2000

67. Beijing West 3rd Ring Road, 2010

68. The average Plot Ratio (FAR) of the whole large urban block shown above is 2.1, about
double the equivalent area in the Plateau Areas of Montreal (1.1) and about 6 times the
density of a Montreal suburb.

69. The Plot Ratio (FAR) of the area inside the red boundary (about 1.0 sq.km.)
is about 1.1

70. The Plot Ratio (FAR) of the area inside the yellow boundary (about 1.0 sq.km.)
is about 0.35

71. Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Arterial Ring Road

72. Beijing Street Network Hierarchy, Secondary Road

73. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates

74. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates

75. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates

76. Neighbourhood Boundaries and Gates

77. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

78. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

79. Communal Neighbourhood Activity
Location of
residents
shown in the
previous four
images
Location of
residents
shown in the
next four
images. (Five
storey wak-up
apartments)

80. Social Mix
Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

81. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

82. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

83. Neighbourhood Garden/Yard

84. Location of a Residential Courtyard Compound
in Beijing (East of East Second Ring Road)
with four towers, 24 floors each.
My home since 2003.

85. Beijing, Yang Guang Du Shi (Sun City) Residential District (2.4 h.)
Big enough for Communal Neighbourhood Activity
Location of
residents
shown in the
previous four
images

86. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District Garden/Yard

87. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District Garden/Yard

88. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District Garden/Yard

89. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District Garden/Yard

90. Beijing, Yang Guang Du Shi Residential District Garden/Yard – English Corner

91. Streets: Hierarchy, Arterial Road
The location of the Sun City
Residential Compound activity
is on the other side,
at the base of, this building.

92. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District
Preparation for the formation of a Residents Committee, the beginning of self-management

93. Beijing, Sun City (Yang Guang Du Shi) Residential District,
first, newly-formed Residents Committee
The beginnings of neighbourhood self-management

94. Typical Residential Districts in China

96. The western city normally does not have common outdoor
space assigned to a group of households.

97. The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks
Before, all traffic went everywhere.

98. The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks
Now, through car traffic is diverted to the perimeter and only local traffic goes inside the 400x400m block.

99. The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks
If we add a shared garden/yard in the middle it starts to look like a Chinese urban super-block.

100. The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks
A 16 hectare block is similar to a Chinese urban super-block. Each of the smaller 1.8 hectare
blocks is large enough for an internal semi-private shared social space.

101. The Barcelona Friendly Super-Block, a 400m x 400m block divided into 9 smaller blocks
If we add common facilities such as kindergarten, infirmary, senior’s center, residents committee office,
(Chinese “pei tao”) at the center we get an even stronger resemblance to a Chinese Residential Compound.