船長之家位於福建省連江縣黃岐半島東北端，與台灣馬祖列島隔海相望。改造前該建築常年經受海風和雨水的侵蝕、磚混結構單薄存在一定的安全隱患；海邊潮濕易腐的氣候條件也造成了室內大面積漏水。同時，船長一家人希望在現有條件下加建三層，以更好地適應他們目前的生活需求。
設計是從針對結構加固方式的思考開始的。經過一系列的對比，我們最終選擇了在保留原有磚牆結構的基礎上添加一層12cm混凝土牆的方法。這一策略不僅滿足了加固和加建的基本需求，同時也提供了更多可以改善空間品質的可能性。
空間格局
新的結構介入使房屋的空間格局得以重新調整，原有的磚牆可以適當地被拆除或移位：我們將原有一、二層臨海的兩個衛生間移動到了靠近鄰居家的一側，在改善通風和採光情況的同時，也使客廳、餐廳與主臥室獲得了更好的觀賞海的視線。
窗系統傢具
窗的位置和形式得以相對自由地梳理。突出牆面的新混凝土窗套一方面為開啓扇提供遮蔽，隔絕沿外牆流動的雨水；另一方面洞口的厚度被轉而設計成窗系統傢具。窗作為「媒介」置於自然與室內空間之間，與傢具和人的行為結合，不再是簡單的牆體上開洞。
拱
我們選擇拱作為三層的結構形態出於幾個主要原因。它是兩邊承重牆向上匯聚自然生成的結果；它的形態有利於屋頂的迅速排水，最大程度地降低了漏水和滲水的可能性；它天生具有方向性，在空間兩端連接了兩片性格迥異的海，人置身其中視線一邊是喧囂的港口，一邊是寧靜的大海。船長一家信仰基督教，三層的拱也蘊含了宗教空間的隱喻，相對於一、二層的生活空間更具有精神意義。
改造後的船長之家於村落「既融入又跳出」：拱自身具備謙卑、內斂的形態不給人以過分侵略或支配的感覺，其曲線形態又區別船長之家於周邊任何一個建築。最終，希望我們的改造給一家人提供更多有質量的生活空間，賦予他們生活的尊嚴，同時也能成為他們家庭情感的載體。
Captain’s House is located on the southeast of Huangqi Peninsula, Fujian Province. Due to the damp and erosive nature of the seaside, the existing structure was unsafe and had large-areas of water leakage during over 20 years of use. This became the main design issues to be addressed. Furthermore, the captain hoped to add a third floor to the existing structure which can accommodate their current lifestyle.
Our design work started with the study of structural reinforcement. After a series of careful comparisons, we decided to add a layer of 12cm concrete wall to the original brick masonry walls. This strategy gave us the potential to make a better quality of space.
Layout
The intervention of the new concrete wall allows us to re-manipulate the layout to some extent. Both the original bathrooms on the first and second floors were moved from the sea-viewing side to the side close to the neighbor. This allowed the living room, dining room and master bedroom to get better views and more natural light and fresh air.
“Window-furniture” system
The locations and forms of openings also were carefully reconsidered. The new concrete window frames extend from the outside wall, preventing excessive rainwater from seeping into the windows. The thickness of the frames was used to designed a“window-furniture” system: windows are no longer simple openings, but serve as a spatial expression between nature and the interior space.
Vault
We choose vaulting to be the structural form of the third floor addition. It reduces the possibility of water leakage by not allowing any rainwater to enter. The Vaulted roof is directional. It connects two sides of the ocean with dramatically different characters: the serene ocean side contrasting with the noisy port. This added floor serves as a multifunctional living space: it accommodates visiting family and friends and functions perfectly as a gym or an activity room as well. Additionally, since the captain’s family is Christian, this space is also intended to be a family chapel.
At dusk, the gentle light comes through the translucent glass blocks. We hope the house will gradually become the carrier of emotions for the captain’s family, and provide dignity and decency to the daily life of ordinary people, which is particularly meaningful under the current circumstance of China.