[Photo provided to China Daily]

Jin Lei, founder of architectural firm REDe, was honoured Nov 1 with the 2019 Chinese New Generation Designer Award for a farmhouse renovation project.

Jin spent only 45 days and 150,000 Yuan ($21,512), transforming 150 yards of space in old houses in Changge village, Beijing's Daxing area, into guesthouses.

He solved many problems in the old houses, including inadequate lighting, drainage and water storage. He used storage space to thicken the walls and enhance insulation.

Also, he built a small mountain garden and created a rural resort service platform, Village Seclusion.

[Photo provided to China Daily]

"This project helps us to explore the commercial potential of low cost and standardized reproduction in rural areas – developing a business model by collecting local abandoned farmhouses, training local residents as butlers to serve visitors, and using the internet to boost bookings," Jin said.

Jin Aijun, the chief designer of the Kempinski Hotel, praised the renovation.

"This project accurately improves the living conditions in a rural area with methods that are not complicated but bring significant effect. In addition, the original household items placed in the houses were skillfully utilized to turn the original messy place into a bright, comfortable and clean space. I believe this case will bring a lot of inspiration for rural transformation," Jin Aijun said.

[Photo provided to China Daily]