Bamboo Branch Academy / Archermit

Architects: Archermit
Area: 533 m²
Year: 2019
Photography: Arch-Exist
Architect In Charge: Youcai Pan
Design Director: Zhe Yang (Partner), Zhe Yang
Technical Director: Renzhen Chen
Structural Engineer: Xu Du
Design Team: Zihan Li, Qinmei Hu, Shuhua Ye, Yi He, Yuanjun Gou, Xiangxin Ge, Rui Yang, Guisheng Liang, Qian Wang, Gang Li, Wei Zhang
Construction Drawing Design: Chengdu CNASMITH Group Co., Ltd.
Owner: Sichuan Zhongrui Jinye Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd.
Location: Yongjiang Village, Yibin
Country: China

Bamboo Branch Academy public architecture designed by Archermit in Yongjiang Village, Yibin, supports China’s rural revitalization strategy by renovating two traditional houses into community-focused spaces. Completed in 2019, the architecture features a meditation hall, music workshop, and educational academy. Influenced by local bamboo symbolism, classical poetry, and Sichuan rural imagery, the design integrates regional heritage with contemporary architectural expression. The project uses poetic metaphors and site-specific materials to create spaces that foster cultural identity, enhancing the village’s connection with its landscape and history.

Positioned in a remote section of Huangjuetan within Yongjiang Village, the site of Bamboo Branch Academy is bordered by bamboo forests, farmland, and the Yujiang River. The project’s spatial composition emerged from field studies carried out by the design team across seasonal visits, where impressions of misty winter fields, budding bamboo groves, and local architectural elements shaped the conceptual framework. Bamboo Branch Academy reinterprets the traditional Sichuan village typology of a single dwelling paired with farmland and a courtyard, transforming it into a unified yet functionally distinct ensemble. Drawing on the ancient poetic motif of “Zhuzhi,” or bamboo branch, the design connects literature, music, and meditation through symbolic forms and spatial transitions grounded in both ecological and cultural memory.

Archermit initiated their design process through detailed site investigations and field studies. The team’s initial visit occurred in late winter, January 2019, when Yongjiang Village was enveloped in mist and the vegetation appeared barren. Observations during this visit included common rural elements of Sichuan village life, such as traditional mud walls reinforced by bamboo strips, grayish blue roof tiles, and clusters of plantain trees near deteriorating houses. The vitality of bamboo shoots growing vigorously by the river particularly inspired the architects, symbolizing renewal, dynamic growth, and the harmonious coexistence of tradition and innovation. During a subsequent visit in early spring, the architects further noted striking scenes of shadows cast by dense bamboo canopies and winding paths leading through vibrant bamboo groves.

The architects employed the concept of Zhuzhi, meaning bamboo branch, as the primary symbolic metaphor guiding the design. Historically, Zhuzhi refers to traditional Yuefu poetry and folk music, thereby linking poetic literature, music, and educational traditions together. This cultural backdrop informed the distinct functions integrated into the project: a music workshop, an academy focused on rural education, and a meditation hall. Archermit’s design reinterpreted the traditional village arrangement typical in southern Sichuan, characterized by individual residences surrounded by private farmland and courtyard spaces. Two existing rural houses were selected for transformation. The quieter, structurally intact house set further from the main road was carefully renovated into a meditation academy, respecting its inherent tranquility. Meanwhile, the structure closer to the road, significantly damaged and exposed to noise, was entirely rebuilt into an active music workshop. A central corridor connects these two buildings, forming a communal outdoor courtyard space inspired by local rural typologies.

The design approach was strongly influenced by bamboo symbolism. The form of bamboo knots guided the spatial organization and exterior expression of the meditation hall, shaping semi-outdoor courtyards, covered porches, and well-ventilated interior rooms. Abstract interpretations of lively bamboo groves were incorporated into the music workshop, represented architecturally by bamboo installations, white steel pipe elements recalling bamboo stalks, and internal glass patios reminiscent of clearings within bamboo forests. The buildings feature grayish blue roof tiles arranged in gentle, undulating forms, visually echoing the surrounding hillsides covered with bamboo forests. This roof design symbolizes continuity between new architecture and the existing rural environment, directly responding to local desires for harmonious coexistence between traditional and modern elements. Additionally, relocated plantain trees, preserved bamboo groves, and the careful incorporation of existing farm paths enhance the project’s integration within the existing village fabric.

Classical Chinese poetry strongly informed the architectural imagery as well. The poem “Written While Living near Water and Bamboo” by Mou Yanwu provided metaphorical inspiration through evocative images such as a cabin surrounded by clear water and balustrades reflected on rippling waters. These poetic references translated into gently curving building forms, dynamic eave details, and functional design elements evoking the scholarly atmosphere of traditional academies. Similarly, Liu Yuxi’s “Bamboo Branch Song,” depicting idyllic scenes of rural harmony, paralleled the project’s intent to harmonize human activities and natural surroundings. Ultimately, Bamboo Branch Academy serves as an architectural expression deeply rooted in Yongjiang Village’s natural and cultural landscapes. Archermit thoughtfully integrated site-specific considerations, symbolic bamboo imagery, and regional cultural heritage, crafting spaces authentically reflective of local traditions. Through these carefully designed interventions, the project successfully contributes to China’s broader rural revitalization objectives by preserving and renewing cultural identity within the contemporary architectural context.