A carpenter's studio in rural Henan, China, its curved timber roof rising and falling with the surrounding mountain landscape.

Carpenter’s Studio in Rural Henan Gets a Mountain-Following Roof of Curved Timber

2026-11-12

A carpenter’s studio in rural China now rises from the hillside beneath a rolling curved timber roof. Chinese studio Primary Architects designed the building, which follows the slope of the mountain behind it.

The site sits at the entrance to Haotang Village in Xinyang, in China’s central Henan Province. The building belongs to Zhang, a local carpenter, and combines his working studio with a woodcraft workshop open to the public.

Exterior of the Carpenter's Home by Primary Architects, set against a rural Henan hillside. — Carpenter’s Home by Primary Architects

The project, called Carpenter’s Home, covers 405 square metres. Primary Architects set the lightweight timber structure between the mountain and the village. Its floor level follows the natural elevation of the land.

Timber roof sweeping over the Carpenter's Home, following the contours of the mountain behind. — Carpenter’s Home by Primary Architects

How the curved timber roof follows the mountain

The roof is the defining feature. Hyperbolic curved beams span up to 26 metres, and the roofline dips gently from the mountainside toward the village. The slope closes the height difference between the two.

Roofs like this one can also carry deep regional references, as a Xi’an library shows when it borrows from traditional eaves. Xi’an Library’s roof mirroring book pages and eaves is worth a look for comparison.

“The building responds to the rolling mountain terrain naturally by treating its roof as a gentle extension of the mountain ridge stretching into the village,” Primary Architects said.

Carpenter's Home by Primary Architects, viewed from the surrounding rural Henan terrain. — Carpenter’s Home by Primary Architects

The wave-shaped outline of this roof does more than echo the hills. The timber roof design also forms the structure, which frees the designers to arrange the interior spaces in flexible ways.

The roof uses glued timber with steel joints. Its geometry was set by parametric control, a method in which software rules define the form. Digital modelling then shaped each component. The team prefabricated the roof as modules in a factory and assembled them on site, which sped up construction.

Interior view of the Carpenter's Home by Primary Architects, with timber structure overhead. — Carpenter’s Home by Primary Architects

The ground floor holds Zhang’s woodworking shop alongside a public area for exhibitions and tours. The public area is where exhibitions and tours are held.

Curved skylights cut into the timber roof and bring daylight into the interior. Each skylight is angled to follow the path of the sun, so the studio stays bright during working hours. A mezzanine level holds a tea room for guests.

If the timber craft here interests you, a Turkish pavilion built around shared public use takes a similar material-first approach. Turkish Timber Pavilion for Community Gatherings shows how wood can serve a village’s daily life.

Curved timber ceiling inside the Carpenter's Home by Primary Architects, lit by natural light. — Carpenter’s Home by Primary Architects

A wide staircase doubles as seating and links the ground-floor shop with the mezzanine. From the steps, visitors can look down on Zhang’s bench, his tools and material samples mounted on the side walls.

Primary Architects also designed a set of working benches. They can be joined into larger tables or separated for individual tasks, which suits the varied steps of traditional woodworking.

Carpenter's Home by Primary Architects, roofline tracing the ridge of a rural Henan hill. — Carpenter’s Home by Primary Architects

The studio’s team describes the building as a way to rethink rural timber architecture. “The Carpenter’s Home seeks to break through the existing formal paradigms of rural construction, responding to the land, craftsmanship and daily life in a more imaginative way,” Primary Architects said.

The studio also frames the building as a working part of village life, not only a craft workshop. In its words, the project is “a timber vessel embodying local memory, artisan spirit and the vision of the future countryside.”

About the studio and project

Primary Architects is a Beijing-based studio founded in 2020 by Xiang Huang. Carpenter’s Home was shortlisted in the workplace project (small) category at this year’s Dezeen Awards.

Project credits list Xiang Huang and Songyan Mao as chief architects. Zhongke Architectural Planning and Design Research Institute served as the Grade A design institute, Bowen Li handled the wood structure detailed design, and Shanxi Junchen Construction Co., Ltd. built the project. Xinyang Pingqiao District Juxing Agricultural Investment and Development Co., Ltd. was the client.

H/T dezeen.com

Frequently asked questions

Who designed the carpenter’s studio with the curved timber roof?

Primary Architects, a Beijing-based studio founded in 2020 by Xiang Huang, designed the building. Project credits list Xiang Huang and Songyan Mao as chief architects.

How far do the hyperbolic curved beams in the roof span?

The hyperbolic curved beams in the roof span up to 26 metres. The roofline dips gently from the mountainside toward the village.

How was the curved timber roof built and assembled?

The roof uses glued timber with steel joints, and its geometry was set by parametric control with digital modelling shaping each component. The team prefabricated the roof as modules in a factory and assembled them on site, which sped up construction.

Where is the Carpenter’s Home located?

The Carpenter’s Home sits at the entrance to Haotang Village in Xinyang, in China’s central Henan Province. The building sits between the mountain and the village.