The Hutong Bubble at No. 32 Beibingmasi. Photos: MAD Architects

By Wu Ningning

It is said the biggest Beijing map publisher has to update its diagrams every three months, or they can't keep pace with development. However, when visitors to Beibingmasi Hutong 32 come in an endless stream, the map makers are obviously out.

Wall by all, gray brick upon gray brick, narrow alleyway plus associated courtyard, at first glance, it is a common hutong where daily life is just as one would expect in the heart of a city of 17 million people.

But the organic looking stainless steel Bubble with a wood deck roof terrace silently makes No 32 Beibingmasi stand out from the crowd, and reminds you the courtyard is not only a refugee from the hustle and bustle, but also a dream-like world.

"Blowing" the Bubble

Born and raised in a hutong, the traditional Chinese way of life is cherished by Ma Yansong, the architect of this Hutong Bubble, but now he can see this relaxed, traditional and joyful routine is increasingly out of step with the country undergoing its most dizzying transformations in the history of urban planning.

"The appearance of hutong has changed dramatically. It is like a big construction site, dusty and polluted. The old life below the courtyards is likely to vanish," said Ma ruefully.

Tens of thousands of alleyways in Beijing have been flattened in the past few years. When the old alleyways go, the old communities go too. Even if the conservationists win the battle against the bulldozers and preserve the hutong, life for residents is still hard: They have limited private space, and lead a cramped life of foul communal toilets and smoky coal stoves.

"Modern architecture should protect people's lives, make their life convenient and maintain the social network of neighbors and friends that have defined the way of life in the hutong for generations," said Ma.

Therefore, rather than allowing the hutong to gradually become a dumpster for local inhabitants and a historical icon for tourists, the architect proposes an ambitious solution. Last year he completed bubble-shaped additions to No 32 Beibingmasi Hutong entitled Hutong Bubble 32.

The stainless steel Bubble, which is inserted into a wooden column and a brick structure, provides a toilet and staircase that extends onto a roof terrace. Its shiny exterior renders it an alien creature, and yet at the same time, reflects the surrounding wood, brick, and skyline.

"The Bubble will provide new private facilities (showers, toilets) for the residents. Our purpose is to mix the current and future lifestyles into the old hutong," explained Ma.

The Hutong Bubble at No. 32 Beibingmasi. Photos: MAD Architects

Demolition

Every morning Wang Xiaolin rises early, washes her face at Bubble's bathroom and then walks up the stairs to the roof garden. As dawn breaks, she feeds her pigeons and waves them off to flutter across the gray building with huge painted character "拆" (demolition) that sprawls into the distance. She likes to spend mornings on this rooftop with her cooing companions. "Living in such a cute Bubble is always interesting," she said.

Nevertheless, despite being its owner, Wang's fondness for the Bubble took time to develop. One year ago, Wang decided to build a bathroom in her courtyard in order to escape the odors of the public toilets and chamber pots. She invited Ma Yansong to complete the project. "Though the Bubble looked amazing in the blueprint, I was still shocked when I saw it for the first time. It looked like a monster," Wang recalled.

Over time, though, the "monster" gave her a new perspective on hutong life. "Staying with the Bubble day after day, I gradually felt its magic. What makes it remarkable is the way it functions in the urban environment. Typically, when setting foot in Bubble, it is easy for you to find the toilet and the roof terrace through the staircase. This Bubble in a courtyard house helps with the necessities of daily life and maintains a sense of community," said Wang.

Unlike Wang, Wu Yuandong, a 29-year-old civil servant from Guangzhou, fell in love with the Bubble at first sight. "When I saw the Hutong Bubble in a magazine, I was deeply attracted by the creative architecture. I came to Beijing to see the Bubble in person. The design is beyond my imagination. It seems to defy gravity. You even get a taste of the future. I hope I can have a Bubble, if I am rich enough," he said.

"Actually the total cost of Bubble is comparatively low, almost 100,000 yuan ($14,000)," said Ma Yansong.

"I will consider asking Ma to construct more Bubbles, if someday I have more courtyards," said Wang Xiaolin.

2050

Ma's Hutong Bubble is a key project in maintaining the hutong.

"The Hutong Bubble was originally proposed for the future of Beijing 2050, and was first revealed during the 2006 Venice Architecture Biennial. Hutong Bubble 32 is the very first Hutong Bubble in Beijing," Ma said. "Hutong in 2050 will value the lives of the people who live in the buildings, rather than just the buildings themselves."

Yet not all people in Beijing are particularly drawn to the flashiness, especially the youth, or in other words, those prospective owners of 2050.

"A post-modern building in an existing hutong is disturbing. That's a fact," said Hu Xiaoli, 26, who has watched the Bubble go up across the street from her apartment. "I still prefer a more traditional courtyard."

Hu's roommate Deng Linyan agrees.

"Having a series of alien like Bubble incisions into the existing hutong is akin to having tumor on an aging body," Deng said. "Preserving hutong does not mean the addition of trendy looking objects that will not stand the test of time, but a thorough study of the entire context."

"The Bubble simply symbolizes a space which is attached to an alley to resolve the issue of hutong dwellers' daily lives and heritage preservation. The free-thinking design could be any form, not necessarily a Bubble," Ma said.

Li Yaqi, a graduate student of Nanking University who majored in urban planning, shares Ma's opinion. "Providing modern sanitation to upgrade a hutong as a precious architecture is a brilliant idea. Our society has been changing fast, so the maze-like hutong should also be changeable. Nevertheless, if all the hutong are covered by such Bubbles in 2050, it will be like overpowering the existing system. Therefore, the form should be more flexible," said Li.

Daring new architecture, yes. Radical internal planning, sure. The "booming" or "bursting" of the Bubble, uncertain. Yet for all of this, the Bubble remains the most challenging and critically acclaimed ultramodern building whose spirit belongs to a world closer to the hutong.

wuningning@globaltimes.com.cn