{"id":236610,"date":"2026-01-16T17:05:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/236610\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T17:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:05:16","slug":"bamboo-clad-guest-room-stretches-like-a-cat-in-chinese-forest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/236610\/","title":{"rendered":"bamboo-clad guest room stretches like a cat in chinese forest"},"content":{"rendered":"

JumpingHouseLab completes playful cat-like retreat in China<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tucked into a forested campground in Anji, Zhejiang, China<\/a>, Cat House is a 30-square-meter<\/a> standalone guest room<\/a>\u00a0by JumpingHouseLab. Shaped like a creature stretching toward distant water and mountains, the project transforms a compact accommodation into an experiential micro-architecture, complete with a slide integrated into its \u2018tail\u2019 and a raised body that both frames views and preserves privacy. Built as part of a broader effort to upgrade aging tents at the site, the small structure proposes a more durable and engaging way of inhabiting the outdoors. JumpingHouseLab approaches Cat House as something that shifts, bends, and adjusts in relation to its surroundings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Located in a bamboo-producing region, the architects opt to clad the structure in bamboo<\/a> tiles. To keep costs low and minimize waste, they reused discarded tiles from a local factory. Initially, a batch of dark, carbonized bamboo suggested a monochrome \u2018black cat\u2019 aesthetic. But when supplies ran out, the team mixed in tiles of varying shades, resulting in a mottled, patchwork exterior. What could have been a compromise became a defining feature. The \u2018spotted cat\u2019 facade introduces visual texture and unpredictability, qualities that align with the playful intent of the project.<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
all images by Wang Tiantian, unless stated otherwise<\/p>\n

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a creature-like response to privacy and landscape<\/p>\n

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The client\u2019s brief stemmed from a clear problem, as traditional tents offer privacy but often block outward views. JumpingHouseLab responds by lifting the structure slightly off the ground and orienting it toward the most scenic direction, eliminating the need for perimeter walls. In doing so, the Chinese architects began to see the form take on a life of its own.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This creature-like posture became the conceptual backbone of the project. The team describes it as akin to a cat subtly adjusting its body, shifting, stretching, and curling in response to what surrounds it. That metaphor is not applied superficially but embedded into the building\u2019s massing, circulation, and section.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The interior is organized through level changes that mirror the sculpted form of the exterior. These shifts create three distinct zones that include an entry area, a central bedroom-living space, and a raised bathroom oriented toward the view. The entrance contains the most functional elements, including washing and toilet facilities, and connects directly to the slide, concealed behind a cabinet-like door. The middle zone becomes the most cocooned and intimate, while the highest point opens up into a playful bathroom where children can bathe while looking out at the landscape. These transitions are subtle, but they guide movement intuitively, turning a tiny footprint into a layered spatial sequence.<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
Cat House is a 30-square-meter standalone guest room by JumpingHouseLab<\/p>\n

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prefabrication as a narrative and strategy<\/p>\n

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The architects at JumpingHouseLab trace the concept back to a real memory of a white cat named Beibei, who, despite her temperament, could navigate cluttered surfaces without disturbing a single object. Her ability to adapt her posture continuously, soft, precise, and quiet, became a lesson in spatial intelligence. This idea of constant micro-adjustment is translated architecturally into Cat House. The building subtly shifts in height, orientation, and openness, allowing it to fit into the forest.<\/p>\n

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To make use of the nearby factory\u2019s leftover materials efficiently, Cat House was split into three segments and prefabricated to 80 percent completion before being transported from Hangzhou to Anji. This logistical decision also shaped the narrative of the building itself, which the architects describe as a long journey, with the \u2018cat\u2019 eventually settling into its forest home. This off-site fabrication allowed the team to maintain precision while keeping costs manageable, highlighting how small-scale architecture often requires as much strategic thinking as large projects.<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
a more durable and engaging way of inhabiting the outdoors | image by Yuanqixiaoshuke<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
complete with a slide integrated into its \u2018tail\u2019 and a raised body that frames views<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
the team opts to clad the structure in reused discarded bamboo tiles<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
tiles of varying shades create a \u2018spotted cat\u2019 effect | image by Leo<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
the patchwork facade introduces visual texture and unpredictability | image by Leo<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
built as part of a broader effort to upgrade aging tents at the site<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
transforming a compact accommodation into an experiential micro-architecture | image by Leo<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
the interior is organized through level changes that mirror the sculpted form of the exterior | image by Leo<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
turning a tiny footprint into a layered spatial sequence | image by Leo<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
the building subtly shifts in height, orientation, and openness<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
Cat House was split into three segments and prefabricated to 80 percent completion | image by Leo<\/p>\n

\"patchwork
off-site fabrication allowed the team to maintain precision | image by Leo<\/p>\n

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1\/10<\/p>\n

\"tucked<\/p>\n

tucked into a forested campground in Anji, Zhejiang<\/p>\n

\"the<\/p>\n

the entrance contains the most functional elements | image by Leo<\/p>\n

\"the<\/p>\n

the most cocooned and intimate zone | image by Leo<\/p>\n

\"eliminating<\/p>\n

eliminating the need for perimeter walls<\/p>\n

\"lifting<\/p>\n

lifting the structure slightly off the ground and orienting it toward the most scenic direction | image by Leo<\/p>\n

\"Cats<\/p>\n

Cats and Cat House Model | images courtesy of JumpingHouseLab<\/p>\n

\"unfolded<\/p>\n

unfolded elevation | drawings by JumpingHouseLab<\/p>\n

\"axonometric<\/p>\n

axonometric drawing<\/p>\n

\"plan\"\/<\/p>\n

plan<\/p>\n

\"elevation<\/p>\n

elevation and section<\/p>\n

project info:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

name: Cat House<\/p>\n

architect: JumpingHouseLab<\/p>\n

location: Anji, Zhejiang, China<\/p>\n

building area: 30 square meters<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

lead architects: Wang Tiantian, Luo Yanqin<\/p>\n

associate designer: Huang Weiqian<\/p>\n

soft furnishing design: Xiaohangkeng \u00d7 JumpingHouseLab<\/p>\n

client: We Flow \u00b7 Xiaohangkeng Eco-Campsite<\/p>\n

construction: Zhejiang Runzhu Technology Co., Ltd. \/ Hu Jing, Zhou Chungui<\/p>\n

on-site coordination: Xiaohangkeng Campsite staff<\/p>\n

photographer: Leo, Wang Tiantian, Yuanqixiaoshuke<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JumpingHouseLab completes playful cat-like retreat in China \u00a0 Tucked into a forested campground in Anji, Zhejiang, China, Cat…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":236611,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[29002,442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69,5061,57339],"class_list":{"0":"post-236610","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-architecture-in-china","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-artsanddesign","12":"tag-artsdesign","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-new-zealand","16":"tag-newzealand","17":"tag-nz","18":"tag-residential-architecture-and-interiors","19":"tag-spaces-under-50-sqm"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}