The design of Guanyun Mountain Villas focuses on expressing the Oriental Zen, creating a real and quite ceremonial experience which give people a comfortable journey and improve the relationship with nature. Through all kinds of ingeniously borrowing from nature and with the combination of architecture and natural scenery which makes this residence full of fun. The ancient people’s life philosophy of yearning for nature implies the design, and integrates the local courtyard, ingenuity, and tea ceremony culture which makes the design warm. It not only stays on the form, but also has a deeper expression of the site and the transmission of culture, while generating the subconscious attraction of the customer’s emotions.
Mr. Hu Shi (Chinese famous ideologist, writer and philosopher) once wrote a couplet which describes a yearning for a turn to simple life, a poetic dwelling place surrounded by natural landscape. People are choosing to live in residences with nature and natural elements and this kind of livable environment is also more in line with the oriental spiritual pursuit and artistic aesthetics. The focus of the design is to express the Oriental Zen of secluded mountain residence, and integrate the Oriental residence’s uncut simplicity into the project. This design creates a ritual experience for mountain dwellers returning home, providing sightseeing, wandering traveling and living to enable the “mountain dwellers” to embrace the nature, and also shows the hazy beauty and holy of the mountain, giving way to the landscape and making it return to the soul.
The local ashlar is selected as the base material for project construction and to be further combined with other materials for use. In the technology of ashlar construction, the local wall laying technique through ancient method will be used again; the ashlar wall finished in this way will be of more warmth and humanistic care, the stone wall will become more charming as time elapses, which is primitive, simple, ecological, green and environmentally protective. To show the vision of the designer’s mind, the ingenious detail design is crucial. The bond of the masonry wall built with the local ancient method and the pure white wall combines history with modern beauty which makes it not only has a simple and elegant appearance, but also can be used for water proof and prevent mildew.
Shortlisted Project for the Built – Residential category for the 2020 WLA Awards
Guanyun Mountain Villas
Location: Nanjing, China
Landscape Architect: Rand Design Associates
Client: Dowell Group
Photography and Image credits: Holi Photography
