架构师提供的文本描述。范太太来自一个传统的中国家庭。像她这样的新婚夫妇将购买一辆汽车，搬进郊区的新房子，开始他们下一阶段的生活。但对于那些30岁出头、希望在经济上独立的人来说，北京房地产的天文数字价格使得他们几乎不可能自己买房。

Text description provided by the architects. Mrs. Fan is from a traditional Chinese family. Newlyweds like her are expected to purchase a car and move into a new house in the suburbs to start the next phase of their life. But for people in their early 30’s who wish to be financially independent, the astronomical price of real estate in Beijing makes buying a house on their own nearly impossible.

 © Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

高天霞/人民建筑办公室

 © Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

高天霞/人民建筑办公室

范女士出生和成长于历史悠久的北京中心的长春街胡同社区。当她上高中的时候，她的家人已经搬到了郊区，而她的旧社区，由于陈旧的基础设施和过度拥挤，继续陷入贫民窟般的状况。但是范从没有习惯过郊区的住宅楼，更喜欢她来自的紧密联系的社区的亲密关系。

Mrs. Fan was born and raised in the Changchun Jie Hutong neighborhood in the center of historic Beijing. By the time she was in high school her family had moved to the suburbs while her old neighborhood, with outdated infrastructure and overcrowding, continued to descend into slum-like conditions. But Fan never got accustomed to suburban residential towers, preferring the intimacy of the close knit community she came from.

 © Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

高天霞/人民建筑办公室

 © Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

高天霞/人民建筑办公室

插件房的可负担性比买一套典型公寓的成本低了30倍，这使得搬回范太太成长的地方成为了一个实际的现实。一个插件的生活水平和能源效率等于或超过了新的公寓大楼。现在，她每天上班的时间从4个小时减少到1个小时。这个插件取代了旧房子的一部分，增加了厨房和浴室等新功能。长春街社区没有污水处理系统，所以公厕通常是唯一的选择。但是，一个非网格的堆肥厕所系统集成到插件中，使胡同的生活更加方便。

The affordability of the Plugin House, thirty times less than the cost of buying a typical apartment, made moving back to where Mrs. Fan grew up a practical reality. The living standard and energy efficiency of a Plugin equals or exceeds that of new apartment towers. And her daily commute to work is now reduced from four hours to one. The Plugin replaces part of the old house and adds new functions such as a kitchen and bathroom. The Changchun Jie neighborhood has no sewage system, so public toilets are usually the only option. But an off-the-grid composting toilet system integrated into the plugin makes Hutong life much more convenient.

 Floor Plan

这个插件是为范太太量身定做的。客厅天花板向上延伸，提供一个双高空间，两边都有天窗。阳光从上面进入，使先前黑暗的内部充满光。为了减轻范太太的幽闭恐惧症，这个小浴室也有一个天窗，但从蓝色的隐私屏幕上接收反射出来的阳光。即使在阴沉沉的日子里，浴室也被蓝色覆盖着。屋顶甲板让她在密集的环境和私人的社交空间中有喘息的空间。

The Plugin House is custom designed for Mrs. Fan. The living room ceiling extends upwards to provide a double height space with skylights on either side. Sunlight is channeled in from above to flood the previously dark interior with light. To relieve Mrs. Fan of her claustrophobia the small bathroom also has a skylight but receives reflected sunlight from a blue privacy screen. Even on gloomy days the bathroom is covered in a blue tint. A roof deck gives her breathing room from the dense surroundings and private social space.

 © Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

高天霞/人民建筑办公室

PAO专有的预制插件板使得插件外壳非常经济实惠。最初开发的用于“房子里的房子”翻新的庭院住宅插件，新的插件住宅系统是防水的，可以在现有结构之外使用。这些预制模块将绝缘、内部和外部饰面结合到一个模制部件中。插件板通过集成的锁定结构彼此连接，使任务变得简单，可以在一天内由一对非熟练人员和一个工具完成。布线和管道被集成到模制的复合面板中。

PAO’s proprietary prefabricated Plugin Panels makes the Plugin House very affordable. Originally developed for the Courtyard House Plugin for “house in house” renovations, the new Plugin House System is waterproof and can be used outside of an existing structure. These prefabricated modules incorporate insulation, interior and exterior finish into one molded part. Plugin Panels attach to each other with an integrated lock making construction a task simple enough to be completed by a couple of unskilled people and one tool in one day. Wiring and plumbing are integrated into the molded composite panels.

 © Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

高天霞/人民建筑办公室

插件的架构形式并不是由法规施加的限制来定义的，而是由周围邻居协商的需求决定的。在插件的四面八方，结构不能阻挡阳光、空气流通和邻居的意见。即使在这座建筑建成的时候，也出现了新的需求。插件面板材料使适应这些变化的实际，切断整个部分的建筑物可以在现场进行。

The architectural form of the Plugin is defined not by limitations imposed from regulations but instead the negotiated demands from surrounding neighbors. On all sides of the Plugin the structure cannot block sun light, air circulation, and views of the people next door. Even as the structure was built, new demands came about. The Plugin Panel material makes accommodating these changes practical, chopping off entire sections of the building can be done on site.

 © Gao Tianxia / People’s Architecture Office

高天霞/人民建筑办公室

插件住宅作为社会力量交汇的表现形式，是一种从当地条件下产生的新的城市白话。对于范女士这样的原始居民来说，搬回北京这些历史悠久的地方是罕见的。通过在一定的社会约束下以负担得起的价格提高生活水平，插件之家试图为旧社区注入新的活力。

As an expression of intersecting social forces the Plugin House is a new urban vernacular born from local conditions. For original residents like Mrs. Fan to move back to these historic parts of Beijing is rare. Through improving living standards for an affordable price within given social constraints the Plugin House attempts to breathe new life into old neighborhoods.