Located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China is Slit House, a project undertaken by AZL Architects and lead by Zhang Lei in collaboration with the Architectural Design and Planning Institute of Nanjing University. The unique feature of this 270m2 residence is that it is the very first structure to be built entirely of concrete in Nanjing, also taking into consideration that almost half of the world’s supply of concrete is consumed by China and over the past 25 years around 1.300 concrete high rise buildings have been erected in the city.
The walls and the roof of the structure were formed using hand- made wooden moulds, giving the appearance of brick on the façade. This imaginative method allows the contemporary structure to be in perfect harmony with the existing brick houses, some of which are around a hundred years old, in this heavily built up urban neighborhood. The slits within the design create half floor levels as well as permitting natural daylight into the house. The interior is furnished in a minimalistic fashion and is unusual in the fact that the living area is on two levels and the dining area is on one and a half levels, something one wouldn’t expect to see in a traditional Chinese home. The bedroom and study areas are on the upper level. The yard has been fitted with wooden boards, creating a clean modern environment which perfectly complements this spacious family home.
