XIN JINGXI Hot-Pot Restaurant

Embedded within the historic hutong fabric of Beijing, the project renovates a traditional siheyuan courtyard through a restrained approach—preserving the original spatial framework while carefully reorganizing functions. Five courtyards are reconnected into a continuous spatial sequence, allowing everyday dining to unfold as an architectural journey.

The design is structured around a gradual progression of concealment, guidance, observation, and movement. Rather than relying on visual spectacle, the experience is shaped through pace, transition, and atmosphere, leading visitors from urban intensity toward moments of calm and openness.

A modest vermilion entrance mediates between the bustling alley and the inner world of the first courtyard. Here, a reflective water surface and a century-old tree establish a contemplative threshold. Adjacent to this space, a softly illuminated glass volume introduces a subtle shift in materiality and circulation, marking the transition toward a more contemporary spatial language.

As the sequence unfolds, the second courtyard frames the distant White Pagoda as a borrowed landscape, integrating the historic landmark into the interior experience. In the third courtyard, operable glass partitions dissolve the boundary between inside and outside, transforming dining into a shared and immersive social setting. Green glazed bricks weave continuity throughout the courtyards, quietly linking tradition and modernity.

The journey culminates at the rooftop terrace, where the enclosed logic of the courtyard opens upward to the sky, bringing the White Pagoda fully into view. Deep within the compound, the kitchen concludes the spatial narrative—grounding the experience in warmth, ritual, and the enduring intimacy of shared meals.