Childhood Secret Base

About The Entry

This is not a conventional residential design. It is a "Heterotopia" crafted by the designer for his childhood friends—an experiential space to escape reality and to house memories and emotions. In the fast-spinning modern city, the world of adults is filled with responsibilities and pressures. The designer's original intention was to create a shared "sanctuary": a place free from overtime and worries, filled only with the carefree relaxation and comfort of their youth. This is a space born from friendship, a secret base where they can always "come home."

The soul of the design lies in the three-dimensional reconstruction of a sealed memory. The designer merged two 44-square-meter loft apartments, boldly implanting a spatiotemporal fragment of a 30-year-old Changsha residential courtyard into the modern 4.5-meter-high structure. Through methods of deconstruction and reconstruction, the eaves, exterior walls, plaza steps, and even the central tree of the old courtyard were "transplanted" into this aerial setting. Here, the past and present, memory and reality, fiercely collide yet miraculously merge, creating a narrative space that is both imaginative and filled with magical realism.

Every detail of the design tells a story about "us."

The Screening Room of Memory( The Living Room): The tiered sofa recreates the plaza steps from their childhood courtyard, where they would watch open-air movies. The friends can once again sit side-by-side; only the screen has changed to a high-definition TV, while the warmth of gathering together remains unchanged. The tropical jungle mural on the wall injects a touch of wild imagination into this soil of memory.

The Soul of the Courtyard( The Atrium): In the center of the space, a robust tree rises from the floor. It is not only a visual focal point but the spiritual heart of the entire "courtyard." Beneath the tree, a mahjong table awaits, perfectly recreating the scene of grandparents playing and chatting in the shade. The tree, and the architectural forms surrounding it, define the soul of the space, making the feeling of home and the memory of the courtyard tangible.