Micro Hutong

Designed by ZAO in Beijing, Micro Hutong inherits the intimate scale of the traditional hutong, revitalizing its social condensing capabilities, while enhancing it with spatial improvements.

The goal of this project, a 30 sqm hostel, is to search for possibilities of creating ultra-small scale social housing within the limitations of super-tight traditional hutong spaces of Beijing.

ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, Beijing, 2016

The result is an architectural operation that brings back the courtyard as a generator of the program, as it activates the building by creating a direct relationship with its urban context. Apart from enhancing the flow of air and light, the courtyard creates a direct relationship between the living space contained in the dynamic volumes and an urban vestibule in the front part of the building.

ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, Beijing, 2016

This flexible urban living room acts as a transition zone from the private rooms to the street, while serving as a semi-public space to be used by both the inhabitants of the hostel and the neighbors of the community.

ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, Beijing, 2016

Micro Hutong inherits the intimate scale of the traditional hutong, revitalizing its social condensing capabilities, while enhancing it with spatial improvements.

ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, Beijing, 2016
ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, Beijing, 2016
ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, Beijing, 2016
ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, Beijing, 2016
ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, Beijing, 2016
ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, sketch
ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, ground floor
ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, first floor
ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, section
ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, section
ZAO/standardarchitecture, Micro Hutong, section


Micro Hutong, Beijing
Program: hostel
Architect: ZAO/standardarchitecture
Design Team: Zhang Ke, Zhang Mingming, Huang Tanyu, Ao Ikegami.
Area: 30 sqm
Completion: 2016