L Hermit House II

LocationHangzhou, China
Size134m²
Year2025-2026
StatusUnder construction

L Hermit House II is an experimental adaptive reuse project set within the Longjing tea fields of Hangzhou. Traditionally, the idea of the Chinese hermit house, as described in literature and poetry, is associated with retreat, contemplation and a quiet harmony between dwelling and landscape. The project takes this spirit as a starting point, asking how it might be reinterpreted through the interior of a contemporary home.

FIG.1Initial sketches
FIG.2Timber circular window and sliding doors overlooking the Longjing tea fields
FIG.3Endless green beyond
FIG.4Interior view
FIG.5Exterior view
FIG.6Ground floor plan

The existing house is organised within a highly constrained footprint of approximately 5 by 6.7 metres, stacked over four levels. Accommodating the full programme of a private residence within such a compact volume required us to reconsider conventional ideas of rooms, circulation and storage. Rather than dividing the interior into a sequence of isolated spaces, we worked with built-in elements, thresholds and vertical connections to allow each part of the house to perform more than one role.

FIG.7Section plan
FIG.8Construction in progress, overlooking the landscape
FIG.9A balcony suspended above the Longjing tea fields
FIG.10Built-in storage integrated with the stair
FIG.11First and second floor plans

Timber joinery is integrated throughout the interior, forming storage, seating and spatial edges while giving warmth to the compact rooms. Lattice windows and carefully framed openings introduce a familiar architectural language in a restrained way, without relying on direct imitation. The circular window, timber frames and large glazed openings create a series of changing views, bringing the surrounding tea fields and woodland into close relationship with everyday domestic life.

FIG.12Basement plan
FIG.13Built-in joinery and lattice window
FIG.14Interior under construction

The landscape becomes an active part of the interior. From different levels of the house, windows frame layers of tea fields, trees and shifting seasonal light, allowing the perception of the rooms to extend beyond their physical boundaries. In a house defined by limited dimensions, these views create another form of spaciousness — one shaped by distance, atmosphere and a constant awareness of what lies outside.

FIG.15Immersed in the Longjing tea fields
FIG.16Timber circular window framing the surrounding woodland

Credits

Design TeamNettie Ni, Yachi Wang, Hanyi Zhang, Zhongyang Chen
Construction TeamZhonghua Ai
Lighting DesignJIO Lighting
Photographs & VideosWillem Pab, Nettie Ni, Yanping He